Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
cppcon.org
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The Evolution of CMake: 25 Years of C++ Build Portability - Bill Hoffman - CppCon 2025
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CMake 4.0 was released March 28, 2025, about 25 years after the initial launch on August 31 2000. CMake has come a long way in that time, but the work is never done. The goal of the project was to bring cross-platform build portability to C++ developers. In the envisioned future, C++ developers could easily create projects that used any C++ library they had access to and develop applications that would work on any platform. This would be possible without having to know how to invoke a compiler or a linker or how to create a shared library. In addition, testing, installation, and packaging would be made available to the masses. The original domain was scientific computing, and it let scientists focus on the science instead of the intricacies of various tools that compile, test, and package software. Many scientists and engineers working on the world's hardest problems have and continue to benefit from CMake.
Despite widespread adoption, numerous legacy CMake practices lead to common mistakes and confusion, as seen in many online forums. Another pain point is debugging complex CMake builds. CMake 4.0 introduces significant changes (mostly deprecating outdated practices) along with implementing a few new features. In the talk, you'll learn modern debugging techniques, performance testing strategies for both CMake (using CMake profiling) and your builds (CMake instrumentation), and how to leverage CMake 4.0's new features to streamline your build, install, test, and packaging processes. In addition, I will cover new features that we are hoping to implement in the future like CMake linting and package manager integration.
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Slides: github.com/CppCon/CppCon2025/blob/main/Presentations/Modern_CMake.pdf
Work at Hudson River Trading (HRT): tinyurl.com/safxfctf
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Bill Hoffman
Mr. Hoffman is a founder of Kitware and currently serves as Chairman of the Board, Vice President, and Chief Technical Officer (CTO). He is the original author and lead architect of CMake, an open source, cross-platform build and configuration tool that is used by hundreds of projects around the world, and he is the co-author of the accompanying text, Mastering CMake. Using his 20+ years of experience with large software systems development, Mr. Hoffman is also a major technical contributor to Kitware’s Visualization Toolkit, Insight Toolkit, and ParaView projects.
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CppCon is the annual, week-long face-to-face gathering for the entire C++ community. The conference is organized by the C++ community for the community. You will enjoy inspirational talks and a friendly atmosphere designed to help attendees learn from each other, meet interesting people, and generally have a stimulating experience. Taking place this year in Aurora, Colorado, near the Denver airport, and including multiple diverse tracks, the conference will appeal to anyone from C++ novices to experts.
Annual CppCon Conference - cppcon.org
linkedin.com/company/cppcon
https://x.com/cppcon
facebook.com/CppConference
reddit.com/r/cppcon
https://mastodon.social/@CppCon
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Videos Filmed & Edited by Bash Films: BashFilms.com
YouTube Channel Managed by Digital Medium Ltd: events.digital-medium.co.uk
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#cpp #cplusplus #cppcon #cppprogramming #cplusplusprogramming #softwaredevelopment #softwareengineering #coding #code #computerscience #technology #technews #programming #programmer
cppcon.org
---
The Evolution of CMake: 25 Years of C++ Build Portability - Bill Hoffman - CppCon 2025
---
CMake 4.0 was released March 28, 2025, about 25 years after the initial launch on August 31 2000. CMake has come a long way in that time, but the work is never done. The goal of the project was to bring cross-platform build portability to C++ developers. In the envisioned future, C++ developers could easily create projects that used any C++ library they had access to and develop applications that would work on any platform. This would be possible without having to know how to invoke a compiler or a linker or how to create a shared library. In addition, testing, installation, and packaging would be made available to the masses. The original domain was scientific computing, and it let scientists focus on the science instead of the intricacies of various tools that compile, test, and package software. Many scientists and engineers working on the world's hardest problems have and continue to benefit from CMake.
Despite widespread adoption, numerous legacy CMake practices lead to common mistakes and confusion, as seen in many online forums. Another pain point is debugging complex CMake builds. CMake 4.0 introduces significant changes (mostly deprecating outdated practices) along with implementing a few new features. In the talk, you'll learn modern debugging techniques, performance testing strategies for both CMake (using CMake profiling) and your builds (CMake instrumentation), and how to leverage CMake 4.0's new features to streamline your build, install, test, and packaging processes. In addition, I will cover new features that we are hoping to implement in the future like CMake linting and package manager integration.
---
Slides: github.com/CppCon/CppCon2025/blob/main/Presentations/Modern_CMake.pdf
Work at Hudson River Trading (HRT): tinyurl.com/safxfctf
---
Bill Hoffman
Mr. Hoffman is a founder of Kitware and currently serves as Chairman of the Board, Vice President, and Chief Technical Officer (CTO). He is the original author and lead architect of CMake, an open source, cross-platform build and configuration tool that is used by hundreds of projects around the world, and he is the co-author of the accompanying text, Mastering CMake. Using his 20+ years of experience with large software systems development, Mr. Hoffman is also a major technical contributor to Kitware’s Visualization Toolkit, Insight Toolkit, and ParaView projects.
---
CppCon is the annual, week-long face-to-face gathering for the entire C++ community. The conference is organized by the C++ community for the community. You will enjoy inspirational talks and a friendly atmosphere designed to help attendees learn from each other, meet interesting people, and generally have a stimulating experience. Taking place this year in Aurora, Colorado, near the Denver airport, and including multiple diverse tracks, the conference will appeal to anyone from C++ novices to experts.
Annual CppCon Conference - cppcon.org
linkedin.com/company/cppcon
https://x.com/cppcon
facebook.com/CppConference
reddit.com/r/cppcon
https://mastodon.social/@CppCon
---
Videos Filmed & Edited by Bash Films: BashFilms.com
YouTube Channel Managed by Digital Medium Ltd: events.digital-medium.co.uk
---
#cpp #cplusplus #cppcon #cppprogramming #cplusplusprogramming #softwaredevelopment #softwareengineering #coding #code #computerscience #technology #technews #programming #programmer
