GeezerVison

C++26 is done (technically complete March 2026, publication expected later this year), so let’s explore the new features in C++, from a data science point of view. This is the biggest release since C++11; in fact, one feature might be the biggest single feature ever. Reflection means C++ now understands itself without macros or hacks; it’s also one of the first mainstream compiled languages to have full static reflection (Rust has syntactic macros, but not true reflection; D, zig, and C# have reflection). Contracts finally landed after 20+ years of attempts; the async model (std::execution) and data-parallel types (std::simd, std::linalg) are also big additions.

Standard stuff from previous releases is also continuing to improve. Much more constexpr, more ranges, mdspan grows sub-views, formatting keeps improving. Plus memory-safety improvements (erroneous behavior, hardened standard library).