Reading draft ISO C and C++ standards

[nexos]

Hello,
I have wanted to really understand C. I know it, but I want to really understand its ins and outs. I was wondering if it was legal to read the draft standard, as it is available at open-std.org. I hope it is legal, as I'll be in luck if it is!
Thanks,
nexos

[nullplan]

It is. The drafts are published by the ISO working groups. They are not the official standards, and of course it is possible the official standards would be different, but the entire process of changing something is so tedious that usually the standards contain exactly the same text as the draft. I am unsure who would ever need to actually shell out those 198 CHF for the official standard, but if you somehow need to desperately lose money... you know, the option's open. I believe not all working groups are as open about their work as the C and C++ groups.

[nexos]

Ok great! Thanks!

[vvaltchev]

I agree with nullplan. Unless it's almost a matter of "live and death", the latest draft before the official standard is pretty much reliable (without guarantees, of course). But, if you're a company and you want/need to formally comply with the standard XYZ, it's totally worth buying the official document instead. Putting the official standard behind a pay-wall is one of the many ways to fund the ISO committee, while sharing the drafts for free is a way to allow the document to reach as many people as possible.

[kzinti]

I've bought the C and C++ standard in the past... At the time I wrote a C compiler and was thinking of writing a C++ one (but that quickly turned out to be a lot of work and not much fun).

I remember paying around $40 CAD, so I don't think this was expensive at all. That said, the drafts are indeed free and enough for most people. Enjoy them and be thankful to these drafts are publicly available!

[Korona]

The technical wording should not differ between the last draft and the standard; obviously the format is slightly different and lacks ISO logos.