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From: ark@research.att.com (Andrew Koenig)
Subject: Re: C++ Productivity
Message-ID: <D41rps.B4r@research.att.com>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill NJ
References: <D3yqBy.EB0@syacus.acus.oz.au> <D3zv07.DGt@research.att.com> <D406Fo.DMH@da_vinci.ecte.uswc.uswest.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1995 15:15:27 GMT
Lines: 44
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.c++:112944 comp.lang.smalltalk:20871 comp.object:26796

In article <D406Fo.DMH@da_vinci.ecte.uswc.uswest.com> tblanch@lookout (Todd Blanchard) writes:

> Yes, very well put.  I agree with what you say.

Thank you!  I have seen all too many flames lately.

> Here's the rub:  The hype surrounding C++ has
> people that have not traditionally and would not normally use C
> considering using C++ for their work.

Yes.  Partly I consider that the price of success; partly I think
that C++ libraries are not yet entirely delivering on their promise.

That is, if libraries were in widespread use that did what I know
they are capable of doing, I would feel much more comfortable with
people who don't normally use C using C++.  For instance, I think
it should be possible to write a library that makes C++ as easy (and
as safe) to use as AWK, provided one doesn't step outside the bounds
of the library.  That means no (built-in) arrays, no pointers, no
dynamic memory (AWK doesn't have it in the ordinary sense, so that
isn't really a hardhip in this particular context).  It would be
even better if there were a compiler with an option to support such
restricted usage (an idea that I cribbed from Bill Joy's keynote
address at the 1988 Usenix C++ conference).

These things take time, unfortunately, especially when there isn't a
ready-made market for them.

> Actually, what I think happens is they get sold Objects, then look
> around for what Object languages people are using, hear lots about C++,
> and figure that's the way to go.

The quest for automatic knowledge is never-ending.

> I meet an awful lot of C++ programmers that will say they don't know C,
> but they think they are good C++ programmers.  I find that amazing.
> Perhaps the language needs a surgeon general's warning or something
> because the wrong people are using it and failing with it.

I don't think C++ is much different from anything else in this respect.
You just see more of it in C++ because there are more C++ programmers.
-- 
				--Andrew Koenig
				  ark@research.att.com
