Re: Is C++ really used ?

Paulo Jose Pinto - LEI wrote:


> The one that gathered my atention is "Modern Compiler Implementation
> in (Java/C/ML)" and it doesn't favour C++.
> Is C++ so bad for compilers, after all I'm using it and it seems
> that everyone else is, so why aren't the books ?


I worked on one compiler written in C++, and it was a little bit like
being a subcontractor on the Tower of Babel. It was tedious and
confusing. With C, you pretty much know where you stand, and it isn't
terribly complex. With Java (I'm working on a compiler written in
Java right now) you've got all sorts of nice features that are lacking
from C++ that make it easier to get working programs written quickly,
and it is not so complex as C++. The resulting code is also more
robust under rapid change, at least according to my unscientific
two-point sample. There's eventually going to be an efficiency
problem, but we'll drive off that bridge when we come to it.


No doubt some C++ fan will write back to explain how I am all wrong,
but I am just relating my experience. I've worked on compiler written
in C, Modula-3, C++, Java, BCPL, and PL/1, and I know what I like.


David
[It is my impression that it's possible to write good programs in C++,
but nobody does. -John]


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