A C++ template library for embedded applications
MIT licensed
Designed and
maintained by
John Wellbelove
"Do It Once, Do it Right, Don't do it again"
J Wellbelove 2014

Why write this library?

I wrote this library, and all the others I have written over the
years, because I'm lazy.

Yes, lazy!

One of the things I really hate when writing software is having to do the same, or something almost the same, over and
over again. The first thing I think when presented with a problem that requires a specific set of functionality is "Is this a
specific case of a more generic problem?". Surprisingly, I can say "yes" more often than you would expect. Even if not
all of the problem can be seen as generic, there are almost certainly parts that are. In every job I've had I've left an
extensive code library behind me.

Reinventing the wheel every time is daft for many reasons.

Code bloat

Multiple instances of slight variations of a theme results in an increase in code size due to no commonality of
functionality.

Testing, more testing or no testing

Are all the variants tested to the same degree? Are some tested at all?

Variable functionality

Not all the variants are going to have the same level of functionality, or the same API. Ad-hoc solutions are invariably
only going to solve the little bit of the problem that was needed at the time.

This goes against the YAGNI1 principle so popular in some programming dogmas.
I think that YAGNI is often just another way of saying ISEP2.
I believe in GIRFT3.
I have over three decades of empirical proof.

No collective knowledge base

Without commonality every new variant has to be learned. The underlying principles may be understood (i.e. Linked
list), but each implementation has to be understood separately, along with its particular caveats and foibles.
Documentation is likely to be patchy.

Octopus code

The application is liable to have a close coupling with the solution. For example, I've often seen code using linked lists
directly accessing the node pointers. Ad-hoc solutions are liable to have lazy (the bad kind) implementations.

About me

I have been involved in technology and computer systems for all of my working life and have amassed considerable
knowledge of designing and implementing systems that are both performant and correct. My role normally
encompasses the entire project life-cycle, from specification to maintenance phase.

Most systems I have worked on have required high speed and deterministic performance, often within a highly
constrained platform. I am experienced in designing and adapting algorithms to solutions that are both space and
time efficient, avoiding the normal overheads of standard solutions.

Acting as a mentor for colleagues has often been a significant, though unofficial, part of my role.
1 YAGNI You Aren't Going to Need It
2 ISEP It's Somebody Else's Problem
3 GIRFT Get It Right First Time