macOS
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brew install doublecpplocal Homebrew formula metadata
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Install doublecpp with Homebrew
Double dispatch in C++. Version 0.6.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Double dispatch in C++
Project links
Commands and aliases
- doublecpp
history
Project history and usage
Doublecpp is a small SourceForge-era C++ preprocessor by Lorenzo Bettini for experimenting with double dispatch and multimethod-style branching in C++. It adds a linguistic construct that is translated into ordinary single-dispatch C++ code.
Project history
The project homepage connects Doublecpp to academic work by Lorenzo Bettini, Sara Capecchi, and Betti Venneri on translating double dispatch into single dispatch. The homepage cites a 2004 workshop paper, a 2005 ENTCS publication, and a 2006 Software: Practice and Experience article, placing the tool in the early-2000s C++ language-extension and generative-programming scene.
Doublecpp was distributed as GPL free software with classic autotools build steps: `./configure`, `make`, and `make install`. Its official page also documented anonymous CVS access on SourceForge, which is a strong historical marker of its era.
Adoption history
SourceForge's file feed shows releases from 2006 through 2009, ending with doublecpp 0.6.3. Homebrew keeps it installable as a formula, but there is little evidence of broad modern adoption beyond package preservation and occasional C++ multimethod interest.
The project is best understood as a niche research-to-tooling artifact rather than a mainstream C++ development dependency.
How it is used
Doublecpp preprocesses C++ sources that use its double-dispatch construct, then emits C++ code where the correct branch is selected dynamically according to the runtime type of the receiver and first argument.
The homepage warned users to build generated code with GCC 3.x because earlier GCC versions had problems with Doublecpp output. That note is now mostly historical, but it shows how closely the tool was tied to compiler behavior of its time.
Why package nerds care
Doublecpp is interesting to package historians because it preserves a small language-extension experiment from the SourceForge/CVS/autotools period. It is the kind of package that survives in Homebrew not because everyone needs it, but because long-tail developer tools matter to reproducibility and software archaeology.
It also illustrates a recurring package-manager role: keeping academic or experimental compilers and preprocessors reachable long after their primary research moment has passed.
Timeline
- 2004: Double-dispatch translation work is presented at WOOD 2004.
- 2006: Doublecpp 0.6.1 source and PDF documentation are published on SourceForge.
- 2007: Doublecpp 0.6.2 source and documentation are published.
- 2009: Doublecpp 0.6.3 tarball is published on SourceForge.
Related projects
- CLOS-style multimethods and multiple dispatch are the language-design ideas Doublecpp brings into C++ by preprocessing.
- Autotools, flex, bison, GCC, Cygwin, and SourceForge CVS are the surrounding toolchain named by the official page.
- Modern C++ alternatives are usually implemented with templates, visitors, variants, or runtime type dispatch rather than a standalone preprocessor.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
doublecpp | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.6.3
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://doublecpp.sourceforge.net/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://doublecpp.sourceforge.net/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:doublecpp |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.6.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/doublecpp |
| Homepage | https://doublecpp.sourceforge.net/ |
| Upstream docs | https://doublecpp.sourceforge.net/ |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/doublecpp/doublecpp/0.6.3/doublecpp-0.6.3.tar.gz |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | doublecpp |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment