C++ implementation

c++

Solution

"C++ implementation" means the compiler plus linker plus standard libraries plus the system that the program actually runs on. Everything except your source, basically.

An implementation is something that implements the C++ standard.

So the book is not saying that any particular thing calls your function. Rather, that whole bundle, or some part(s) of it, will ensure that `main` is called.

In practice, this means that your compiled executable contains some system-specific startup code, followed by initializers for static objects, followed by a call to your main function.

Problem

I've read this line in a book:- "When we ask the C++ implementation to run a program, it does so by calling this function." And I'm wondering about what "C++ implementation" means or what it specifically is. Help!?

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