Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.object,comp.lang.c++
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!kinky.eng.gtefsd.com!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!scipio.cyberstore.ca!vanbc.wimsey.com!molienergy!janr
From: janr@molienergy.bc.ca (Jan Reimers)
Subject: Re: C++ and Smalltalk Productivity
Message-ID: <1995Jan12.185928.12748@molienergy.bc.ca>
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 95 18:59:28 GMT
References: <1995Jan11.214042.15872@boole.com>
Organization: Moli Energy 1990 Ltd., Burnaby, B.C., CANADA
Keywords: Smalltalk, C++, Programmer Productivity
Lines: 42
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.smalltalk:19496 comp.lang.c++:107244

In article <1995Jan11.214042.15872@boole.com> jka@boole.com (John Ahlstrom) writes:
>I am looking for documented or anecdotal descriptions of actual experience
>that allows comparison of actual C++ and Smalltalk programmer productivity.
>
>Here is one such description:
>
> "About a year ago a large North American corporation suspended
> all Smalltalk development, began all new development in C++
> and began converting existing Smalltalk to C++.
>
> In one conversion from Smalltalk to C++ an 8 person group
> including many of the 6 original Smalltalkers produced in 12 months
> about 80% of the functionality that a 6 person group
> produced in Smalltalk in 3 months.  Roughly 6*3 : 8*12 or
> 18:96 or 5+:1 productivity edge for Smalltalk."
>
> They have abandoned their plans to convert old applications
>from Smalltalk to C++ but are doing all new development in C++.
>
Any c++ guru will tell you that smalltalk DESIGNS do not translate well into
c++.  This dosen't say the one is better than the other, just that design
stratigies are very diffierent.  It seems that whoever decided that translating
from smalltalk to c++ was a good idea was very unknowledgable.   I also suspect
that the final c++ code will be be riddled with dynamic casts and such.

This is therefore a very poor example to use for arguing that smalltalk
better than c++.



################################

        Jan N. Reimers 
      Research Scientist
    Moli Energy (1990) Ltd.
     Tel:   (604)-465-7911
     FAX:   (604)-465-4398
  email: janr@molienergy.bc.ca

################################
-- 
janr@molienergy.bc.ca
