The thing is, and Rust advocates seem to consistently plug their ears when they hear it, is that most software written specifically in C++ is very highly specia

The thing is, and Rust advocates seem to consistently plug their ears when they hear it, is that most software written specifically in C++ is very highly specialized stuff with a small specific client set, where security is just not an issue. According to the poll that JetBrains did when it started working on CLion, about half of C++ usage is in financial software. I will tell you first hand that in most applications in financial software, C++ servers will be talking to other internal servers, exchanges, reputable data distributors, etc. The idea that memory = security risk is just not a connection that people around here generally make. I also know some game developers and my strong sense is that games are similar. Video games may talk to a specialized multiplayer server, an update server, and that's mostly it. I could continue, but you get the idea. For most C++ developers I've ever encountered, memory issue == bug, != security risk. Browsers, which operate on maximally complex data (a Turing complete programming, JS) and are by nature exposed to the entire world, including malicious users who want to harm other browser users, are simply not the typical domain for C++. I think there's every chance that Rust is a good fit for writing browsers, but outside of that things are much less clear (at least, at the moment).