The Clocks of C++: Knowing When (and Why) to Use Each One

General Info We want to meetup IRL, too! Checkout the website for information on social events this week. Check back weekly, as we announce more. Want to help organize such, yourself? Find us on Discord (check the landing page for info) and help us get back to better networking and socializing. Please checkout the group landing page, https://globalcpp.github.io for all information. This week Time handling in C++ looks simple — but it has some caveats. Between system_clock, steady_clock, high_resolution_clock, and a few new friends from C++20, it’s easy to pick the wrong one and end up with flaky tests, wrong timestamps, or confusing results. This talk demystifies how time works in C++. We’ll explore what a "clock" really is, how std::chrono models it, and why not all clocks tick the same way. You'll learn when to use each standard clock, how to reason about monotonicity and precision, and how to build your own custom or fake clocks to make testing reliable. By the end, you'll not only understand the difference between wall time and steady time — you'll know how to use them confidently in your production and test code. About the Presenter Sandor is a passionate software craftsman focusing on reducing the maintenance costs by developing, applying and enforcing clean code standards. His other core activity is knowledge sharing both oral and written, within and outside of his employer. When not reading or writing, he spends most of his free time with his two children and his wife baking at home or travelling to new places.