If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know I’ve been sharing what I learn about new C++ language and library features ever since C++20. You probably also read my CppCon 2025 Trip Report. And this post is where the two come together. At CppCon I attended a great talk by Steve Downey about std::optional. Steve is the father of optional references—he co-authored P2988R12 with Peter Sommerlad. Let’s start with a little history. By now — at the end of 2025 — even C++17 feels like ...
