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Re: C++ allows to build very impressive abstractions that are very handy. The main drawback is that this flexibility has a huge impact on the language. When you
by tabtab 8y ago
Re: C++ allows to build very impressive abstractions that are very handy. The main drawback is that this flexibility has a huge impact on the language. When you switch between two projects writen in C++, it is almost as if they were using a different language.
This has always been the two-edged sword of high abstraction: people use high abstraction to invent idioms that match their OWN head, and other heads have difficultly reading it. I've been in long debates with Lisp fans over the commercial practicality of Lisp. Lisp and its variations have had almost 60 years to "catch on" in the mainstream, and keeps failing, staying a niche. If you keep losing beauty pageants for 60 years, it's time to admit you may be ugly. Just because YOU like it and/or YOU can read a certain style does NOT mean others can.
Domain-specific languages tend to herd people into certain styles and idioms, making cross-staff reading easier, even if it's more typing. Standardization often trumps linguistic parsimony in real-world work. I'm just the messenger. (I'm talking general domains here, not necessarily specific industries.)