C++ is a complex beast now unlike when you and I used it back in the 1990s.

I used played around with C++ the most around 2010 when I got the Rad Studio edition with both C++ and Delphi about 10 years ago. This was about the same time unicode compliance was introduced. I was motivated to get better at C primarily because of the situation that developed with the ACS Atlas and I wanted to use the Olson tz database directly. But I decided to instead use MyBase (tz data only omitting the code portion of tz data) and developed in the Delphi side anyway because I already had what I needed to calculate Julian dates and other time based procedures in my own software and the code side of the solution was redundant.

That eventually blew up in a lawsuit because Astrolabe was trying to disadvantage my software. I blogged about that situation in the beginning at Steemit and that post got the attention of a lot of whales here. Basically my solution (the Terran Atlas) caused massive disruption to important internet protocols back in 2011 because Gary Christen was pissed that I didn't take up the offer to work for them. It almost made me famous in an "Edward Snowden" sort of way.

This is turning out to be quite the rabbit hole. Many concepts that I've never heard of before. @ivanli's blockchain academy covered the basics of various consensus algo's, but none of the nuances of how various blockchains might attempt to be defeated.

You should be aware that I don't work the long hours that I used to because of my health and the fact that I'm here on the homestead also taking care of my elderly father. I've had no shortage of job offers in recent years, but at this point I really don't need money. I'll be glad to help if I can free of charge.