CMake Doesn't Have to Be Painful - Simple Strategies That Work

Learn practical strategies to simplify CMake usage and avoid common frustrations in this conference talk from CppCon 2025. Discover modern CMake principles that have been available for about a decade but are often underutilized, leading to overcomplicated projects and steep learning curves. Explore up-to-date CMake basics while identifying which advanced features you can skip to maintain a "just works" approach. Follow along with a demonstration project that serves as a reference for implementing these simplified strategies in your own C++ builds. Examine new CMake features designed to improve developer quality of life while maintaining simplicity and reliability. Gain insights from a CMake veteran who leads Bloomberg's C++ Infrastructure team and actively participates in the ISO C++ Tooling Study Group, focusing on making C++ codebases more maintainable by treating projects systematically rather than as unique snowflakes.