7 ms·

C++: an octopus made by nailing extra legs onto a dog.

0xFFC 10y ago
Very nice expression! One of the best expressions i have heard about C++ is "C++ is feature adding contest, they add ao much feature in every cycle it seems they are in hurry"
gpderetta 10y ago
And we like it that way :)
pjmlp 10y ago
Just like any other language of similar age and industry adoption.
- ue_ 10y ago
  I doubt you could say much the same about C, which is not only older than C++, but with similar industry adoption (albeit at a different place in the stack nowadays).
  - pjmlp 10y ago
    Have you ever tried to make a portable C application using multiple C compilers (not gcc or clang) across multiple OSes (not only POSIX)? It is lots of fun with extensions not covered by ANSI C and compiler specific behaviors.
    - ci5er 10y ago
      I have - although POSIX covered a fair number of them and POSIX-ish or pretend-to-be-POSIX made up some more. That could all usually be covered with a pretty thin utility layer, and the compiler-of-the-day for whatever the platform was. (and, sometimes, a whole lotta #IFDEFs!) You must be talking about something more extreme, maybe in embedded land? Do you happen to have a small number of f'rinstances?
      - pjmlp 10y ago
        Experience in the late 90's, early 2000's, porting C code between multiple systems.
    - PopsiclePete 10y ago
      Yes. It's actually easier for me than C++ because the language stopped changing. You can get by with C89 for 99.9999% of C code bases out there.
      - pklausler 10y ago
        C'89 is an awesome language (and language standard). The document is readable and one can reasonably expect to understand the whole language, dark corners and all. (Features in a language that one doesn't understand are dangerous. Nobody understands all of C++17. I'll let you reach the conclusion.)
geezerjay 10y ago
> C++: an octopus made by nailing extra legs onto a dog. ...and yet it's (arguably) the best software-writing tool that mankind has invented, at least up to now.
- pklausler 10y ago
  Everything's arguable, including the definition of "best".
- swift 10y ago
  Arguably is an understatement. Though it's certainly true that there are some problem domains in which there aren't many alternatives to C++.
- snakeanus 10y ago
  lol no
- anta40 10y ago
  "the best software-writing tool that mankind has invented" you mean "the most complicated"? :D

0xFFC 10y ago

Very nice expression! One of the best expressions i have heard about C++ is "C++ is feature adding contest, they add ao much feature in every cycle it seems they are in hurry"

gpderetta 10y ago

And we like it that way :)

pjmlp 10y ago

Just like any other language of similar age and industry adoption.

ue_ 10y ago
I doubt you could say much the same about C, which is not only older than C++, but with similar industry adoption (albeit at a different place in the stack nowadays).
- pjmlp 10y ago
  Have you ever tried to make a portable C application using multiple C compilers (not gcc or clang) across multiple OSes (not only POSIX)? It is lots of fun with extensions not covered by ANSI C and compiler specific behaviors.
  - ci5er 10y ago
    I have - although POSIX covered a fair number of them and POSIX-ish or pretend-to-be-POSIX made up some more. That could all usually be covered with a pretty thin utility layer, and the compiler-of-the-day for whatever the platform was. (and, sometimes, a whole lotta #IFDEFs!) You must be talking about something more extreme, maybe in embedded land? Do you happen to have a small number of f'rinstances?
    - pjmlp 10y ago
      Experience in the late 90's, early 2000's, porting C code between multiple systems.
  - PopsiclePete 10y ago
    Yes. It's actually easier for me than C++ because the language stopped changing. You can get by with C89 for 99.9999% of C code bases out there.
    - pklausler 10y ago
      C'89 is an awesome language (and language standard). The document is readable and one can reasonably expect to understand the whole language, dark corners and all. (Features in a language that one doesn't understand are dangerous. Nobody understands all of C++17. I'll let you reach the conclusion.)

geezerjay 10y ago

> C++: an octopus made by nailing extra legs onto a dog. ...and yet it's (arguably) the best software-writing tool that mankind has invented, at least up to now.

pklausler 10y ago
Everything's arguable, including the definition of "best".
swift 10y ago
Arguably is an understatement. Though it's certainly true that there are some problem domains in which there aren't many alternatives to C++.
snakeanus 10y ago
lol no
anta40 10y ago
"the best software-writing tool that mankind has invented" you mean "the most complicated"? :D