X3J14

X3J14 was a standards committee within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) tasked with the development of the C++ programming language standard. Operating in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was part of ANSI's X3J committee structure that handled programming languages. Its remit included drafting and evaluating proposals for a formal C++ standard, organizing working drafts, and processing defect reports and suggested language changes from the community. The group served as a focal point for discussion among developers, vendors, and researchers who sought a stable specification for C++.

Over its active period, X3J14 produced and circulated a series of draft specifications and proposals that guided subsequent standardization efforts. Although the exact language and features settled in later ISO work, the committee's deliberations helped shape the direction of C++ and laid groundwork later carried forward by ISO committees.

As international standardization of C++ began, responsibilities shifted to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG21 (the C++ standards working group). Many participants from X3J14 joined WG21, and the international standardization process ultimately produced ISO/IEC 14882. After the transition, X3J14 became a historical reference rather than an active standards body.

Today, X3J14 is referenced in historical accounts of C++ development, and archival materials from the committee—drafts, proposals, and minutes—are preserved in standards archives and community repositories.