Rust is a language originally made by Mozilla for use in browsers. It features both a powerful type system which makes writing abstractions easy and the borrow checker which gives the compiler the ability to guarantee memory safety. When you have an error in your code, the Rust compiler will typically pinpoint its exact location with a helpful diagnostic.

Rust is becoming extremely popular among programmers and was voted the most loved programming language in the 2020 StackOverflow survey. It is quickly gaining recognition as a preferred language across industries, with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google as notable examples. However, Rust is also known for its steep learning curve. This workshop will provide you with a path to understanding Rust and obtaining intermediate proficiency, designed for people familiar with C++.

Project structure and the Cargo package manager

Data types (Algebraic data types, Struct, Enum)

Pattern matching, functional programming aspects

Exercises, including Rust for embedded systems


Familiarity with C++ or another equivalent systems programming language is strongly recommended.




C++ programmers who are interested in getting started with the Rust programming language. People who are looking into the advantages of integrating Rust in their C++ project, or who want to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry.




We recommend installing rust on your system ahead of the workshop: 

2 Days

29 – 30 Aug

Rust for the C++ Developer

C++/Embedded

Programming Languages

This two day hands-on workshop will give you a chance to explore numerous types of hardware interfacing, including:

We will be looking at these from the point of view of embedded systems, including Linux based IoT devices. For the hands-on portion of the workshop we will be using Raspberry Pi boards to implement a smart door bell.

In the lectures, you will learn the theory necessary to implement such a device. Starting from power on, we will consider how Linux discovers what hardware is attached, and especially the role of the device tree in non PC systems. We will look how Linux represents hardware internally through the device driver model and the sysfs file system, and how it loads device drivers for each component of hardware. Then we will see how to interact with device drivers from user-space programs to make a working system.

We will be using the industry standard Yocto Project to build the disk images for the target. If you are not familiar with Yocto, don’t worry: we will be covering the fundamentals of Yocto as well.

The workshop is suitable for anyone working with Embedded Linux, or IoT devices, or is just curious about how things work

To get the best out of it you will need good command-line Linux skills (grep, find, bash), good C/C++ coding skills, and a basic knowledge of computer architecture (memory address spaces, interrupts, DMA)

Hardware Interfacing with Yocto Project

Embedded

Architecture

Software Design

Product Design

This training class explores modern C++ design and the modern forms of classic design patterns. It provides guidelines, idioms and best practices for sustainable and maintainable design, which enables programmers to create professional, high-quality code. Amongst others it will answer the following questions:

How does good C++ design with a minimum of dependencies look like?

What are the most important rules for robust, maintainable, and sustainable design?

What are the most common pitfalls in C++ software design?

Why does classical C++ design based on inheritance hierarchies fail so often?

How are the classic design patterns implemented in modern C++?

What are alternatives to the classic design patterns?

After this course, participants will ...
... have a detailed understanding of the essential design principles;
... understand the benefits of separation of concerns;
... be able to design code with minimum dependencies;
... have an impression of the modern alternatives of classic design patterns;
... have gained knowledge about modern design techniques;
... understand how std::function, std::any, and ranges work;
... favor composition over inheritance;
... avoid the usual pitfalls in the context of inheritance;
... know about the importance of value semantics;
... comprehend the advantages of non-intrusive design.

 The course expects that all participants are familiar with the syntax of the language and have used inheritance and templates before.



For the hands-on programming tasks, you are expected to use your own machine. Any operating system (Windows, Linux, MacOS, ...), any IDE/editor (MS Visual Studio, CLion, vi, emacs, ...) and any compiler capable of at least C++14 (GCC, Clang, MSVC, ...) can be used

Modern C++ Design Patterns

Design

This two-day course is aimed at experienced programmers that would like a proper introduction to the C programming language. Software developers already familiar with C might find that this course is exactly what they need to fill in the gaps and further deepen their understanding of this fascinating programming language.

The essential building blocks of the C programming language

Preprocessing, translation, linking, execution and debugging

The memory model, sequencing and sequence points

Working with objects, pointers, arrays and structures

Portability, security and optimization issues

Modern development and design techniques in C

The instructor will do a lot of live coding and demonstrations while explaining the different concepts. There will also be several exercises during the course that will give students hands-on experience with developing programs and libraries in C.


The course assumes that the student already knows at least one imperative programming language quite well, and that they are familiar with editing code and working from a Unix-like command line.


Participants must bring a laptop with access to a functioning environment for developing code in C11/17, or at least C99. Any modern C compiler and editor will probably do, but I recommend using Linux/macOS/WSL with recent versions of gcc or clang. We will also demonstrate how to develop C code in the cloud, so a modern browser and a github account will be useful.

Tour of C - a proper (re)introduction to C

This course concentrates on security issues intrinsic to the C and C++
programming languages and associated libraries. You will learn to identify
vulnerabilities ensuing from common security flaws including:

This course covers specific remediation techniques for each category of
security flaws as well as general secure coding practices that help
prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities.

Material in this presentation was derived from the Addison-Wesley books
Secure Coding in C and C++ and The CERT C Secure Coding Standard.


Exercise: Reviewing Code for Integer Defects

Day 2: Dangerous Optimizations & Dynamic Memory


Secure Coding in C and C++ is useful to anyone involved in the development
or maintenance of software in C and C++. If you are a:


C or C++ programmer, this book will teach you how to identify common
programming errors that result in software vulnerabilities, understand
how these errors are exploited, and implement a solution in a secure
fashion.

Software project manager, this book identifies the risks and
consequences of software vulnerabilities to guide investments in
developing secure software.

Computer science student, this book will teach you programming
practices that will help you to avoid developing bad habits and enable
you to develop secure programs during your professional career.

Security analyst, this book provides a detailed description of common
vulnerabilities, identifies ways to detect these vulnerabilities, and
offers practical avoidance strategies.




The course assumes basic C and C++ programming skills, but does not assume
an in-depth knowledge of software security. The ideas presented apply to
various development environments, but the examples are specific to
Microsoft Visual Studio and Linux/GCC and the Intel Architecture.




Students are also encouraged to bring their own C and C++ programming
language development environments (compiler, editor, etc.), such as
Microsoft Visual Studio, Xcode, GCC, or Clang.

Secure Coding in C and C++

Security

This class will go through all major and important minor features of C++20 (covering both language and library), introduce them conceptually, provide compelling examples, and give key insights and hints about how to use them in practice.

As a member of the C++ standards committee, Nicolai will also give useful background information about purpose and design decisions.

We will cover all new language features with real examples that work and provide insights about the power of C++ but also its flaws and traps.


Details of concepts (using concepts, semantics constraints, concepts versus type traits, standard concepts)

Details of ranges and views (dealing with const, iterator categories, projections, pipelines, sentinels)

Barriers, latches, semaphores, extensions for atomics, and output sync streams

Chrono extensions (calendar and time zone support)

Formatted output (standard and user-defined formatting)

consteval, constinit, and compile-time vectors/strings

New NTTP types (floats, lambdas, objects, ...)

Several small new language and library features (bits handling, source location, typename, string extensions, char8_t, ...)

Programmers who want to get a well understanding of the new features of C++20

Attendees should be familiar with Modern C++

C++20 in Practice - A Complete Introduction

We start immediately with working programs.

Packaging and distribution of Python packages

Callable objects, lambdas, and extended argument syntax

Properties, class methods, and static methods

Multiple inheritance, method resolution order, and super()

Collection protocols and implementing collections

This workshop requires that you bring a laptop with the following software installed:

Python 3.3 or greater installed. Python 3.5.1 would be ideal. 

An editor for Python code. Attendees can use whatever editor they prefer, but we recommend PyCharm which is a full-featured Python IDE : 

The ability to either connect to the Internet or accept USB flash drives so we can distribute course materials on the day.

Python Properly

Python

 is ideal for people who have little to no experience in C++, but are proficient in an Object Oriented Programming language, like Java or C#.

Introduction to C++ and presentation of the project

Using variables, functions and parameters effectively

An introduction to the compilation model of C++. Build systems, compilation, linkage, headers, translation units and libraries

Introduction to unit testing using Catch2

Classes, structs, namespaces and enum class

Allocation on the stack vs heap, std::unique_ptr, Rule of Zero and RAII

Introduction to tooling like Clang Tidy, Clang Format, CMake, GDB

Introduction to sanitizers like AddressSanitizer, Undefined Behavior Sanitizer and Memory Sanitizer

Students are assumed to be proficient in an Object Oriented Programming language like Java or C#. They should be working in (or looking to work in) a C++ project.

The exercises will be done in a CMake based project. The students will need a development environment, a rich IDE is recommended, for example Visual Studio Code and Jetbrains CLion. A GitHub account will be useful.

Mod(C++) Fundamentals

The Intermediate course gives the students a deeper understanding of how one should think and program in “Modern C++” ( C++11/14/17/20). The exercises will all be based around a 2D graphics game inspired by Ms. Pac-Man. 

DAY 1 - GENERIC PROGRAMMING “THINKING”

Introduction to the training Presentation of the project

Class templates, function templates, non-type parameters

Variadic templates, fold expressions and parameter packs

Special member functions (Rule of Five/Zero)

Pragmatic introduction to move semantics and return value optimizations

Safety: Riskier constructs in C++ and how to minimize their impact

Students are assumed to have some C++ experience or should have taken Mod(C++) Fundamentals. They should be working in ( or looking to work in) a C++ project.

Mod(C++) Intermediate



(+) Topics marked with a plus sign will be covered as time permits.

2. Fundamental Concepts
* System calls and library functions
* Error handling
* System data types
* Notes on code examples

3. File I/O and Files
* File I/O overview
* open(), read(), write(), and close()
* The file offset and lseek()
* Relationship between file descriptors and open files
* Duplicating file descriptors
* File status flags (and fcntl())
* Retrieving file information: stat()

4. Processes
* Process IDs
* Process memory layout
* Command-line arguments
* The environment list
* The /proc filesystem

5. Signals
* Overview of signals
* Signal dispositions
* Useful signal-related functions
* Signal handlers
* Signal sets, the signal mask, and pending signals
* Designing signal handlers

6. Signals: Signal Handlers
* Async-signal-safe functions
* Interrupted system calls
* SA_SIGINFO signal handlers
* The signal trampoline (+)

7. Process Lifecycle
* Creating a new process: fork()
* Process termination
* Monitoring child processes
* Orphans and zombies
* The SIGCHLD signal
* Executing programs: execve()

8. System Call Tracing with strace (+)
* Getting started
* Tracing child processes
* Filtering strace output
* System call tampering
* Further strace options

9. Pipes and FIFOs
* Creating and using pipes
* Connecting filters with pipes
* FIFOs (+)

10. Alternative I/O Models
* Nonblocking I/O
* Signal-driven I/O
* I/O multiplexing: poll()
* Problems with poll() and select()
* The epoll API
* epoll events
* epoll: edge-triggered notification
* epoll: API quirks
* Event-loop programming


The following people are likely to find the workshop of particular benefit:

Programmers developing system-level applications for Linux systems, or programmers porting such applications from other operating systems (e.g., Windows) to Linux.

Embedded programmers developing applications for Linux, or porting embedded applications from systems such as VxWorks or QNX to Linux.

DevOps engineers and sytem administrators who want to gain a greater insight into the oepration of Linux applications.



The workshop consists of a mixture of detailed presentations coupled with many coding exercises that allow participants to apply the knowledge learned in the presentations.



You should have a good reading knowledge of C or C++. For the practical sessions, templates will be provided to relieve you of the need to type in tedious boilerplate code. The templates are in C, but if you wish, it is also possible to complete the exercises in another suitable language such as D, Rust, or of course C++.

You should have a basic familiarity with the Linux/UNIX command line to do tasks such as listing directories, editing files, and compiling programs.

No previous system programming experience is assumed.


You'll need a laptop with Linux installed--either as a native install or inside a virtual machine (VM). In the latter case, you should ensure that the VM has working Internet access. The system should have a C compiler (e.g., gcc) and "make" installed. (It's likely that both of these are provided as part of the default install, if you are setting up a new system.)

NDC { TechTown }

Workshops

09:00 - 17:00 (UTC+02)

Modern C++ Design Patterns

Klaus Iglberger

Linux System Programming Fundamentals

Michael Kerrisk

C++20 in Practice - A Complete Introduction

Nicolai Josuttis

Hardware Interfacing with Yocto Project

Chris Simmonds

Tour of C - a proper (re)introduction to C

Olve Maudal

Secure Coding in C and C++

Robert Seacord

Rust for the C++ Developer

Sebastian Roll

Hans Elias B. Josephsen

Python Properly

Austin Bingham

Mod(C++) Fundamentals

Ólafur Waage

Mod(C++) Intermediate

Patricia Aas