I don't think that casting a range of bits as some other arbitrary type "is a bug nobody sees coming".
C++ compilers also warn you that this is likely an issue and will fail to compile if configured to do so. But it will let you do it if you really want to.
That's why I love C++
"C++ compilers also warn you..."
Ok, quick question here for people who work in C++ with other people (not personal projects). How many warnings does the code produce when it's compiled?
I've written a little bit of C++ decades ago, and since then I've worked alongside devs who worked on C++ projects. I've never seen a codebase that didn't produce hundreds if not thousands of lines of warnings when compiling.
Depends on the age of the codebase, the age of the compiler and the culture of the team.
I’ve arrived into a team with 1000+ warnings, no const correctness (code had been ported from a C codebase) and nothing but C style casts. Within 6 months, we had it all cleaned up but my least favourite memory from that time was “I’ll just make this const correct; ah, right, and then this; and now I have to do this” etc etc. A right pain.
So, did you get it down to 0 warnings and manage to keep it there? Or did it eventually start creeping up again?
I'm not the person you're asking but surely they just told the compiler to treat warnings as errors after that. No warnings can creep in then!