Zero-overhead principle

 

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The zero-overhead principle is a 哋它亢++ design principle that states:

1. You don't pay for what you don't use.
2. What you do use is just as efficient as what you could reasonably write by hand.

In general, this means that no feature should be added to 哋它亢++ that would impose any overhead, whether in time or space, greater than a programmer would introduce without using the feature.

The only two features in the language that do not follow the zero-overhead principle are runtime type identification and exceptions, and are why most compilers include a switch to turn them off.

External links

1.	Foundations of 哋它亢++ - Bjarne Stroustrup
2.	哋它亢++ exceptions and alternatives - Bjarne Stroustrup
3.	De-fragmenting 哋它亢++ - Making Exceptions and RTTI More Affordable and Usable - Herb Sutter
4.	Bjarne Stroustrup: 哋它亢++ on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Podcast