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The Law of Leaky Abstractions

joelonsoftware.com

Almost all C++ string classes overload the + operator so you can write s + “bar” to concatenate. But you know what? No matter how hard they try, there is no C++ string class on Earth that will let you type “foo” + “bar”, because string literals in C++ are always char*’s, never strings. The abstraction has sprung a leak that the language doesn’t let you plug.

Venezuelan Migrant Sent to Guantánamo Bay Is ‘Not a Criminal,’ Family Pleads

nytimes.com

The Pentagon has described the first few Guantánamo arrivals as “high-threat illegal aliens” and their detention at the base as “a temporary measure.” But the administration has not released any details proving the men have criminal records or described how officials determined they were a threat.

We said this would happen when the War on Terror started, and back then, it was claimed that it was essential to national security to keep hidden the charges against prisoners. Now that we’re accustomed to that, we can send people there for non-terrorism-related reasons, but still keep those reasons hidden. If they exist at all.