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Uhhhh no. A C API can called by every language under the sun. C is the lingua franca of computer science. A C++ API can't even be reliably called by other C++

Uhhhh no. A C API can called by every language under the sun. C is the lingua franca of computer science. A C++ API can't even be reliably called by other C++ programs. If I produce a shared library with C API it can be used broadly and easily. If I produce a shared library with a C++ it can only be used by C++ programs compiled with precisely the same settings. Providing a C++ API really just means "compile this entire library from source". I do indeed compile a lot of great third-party C++ code from source. That's not always possible or even desirable. If I need to use that code from a different language - for example C# for Unity or matlab for data science - then that C++ API is worthless and needs to be wrapped with a C API. I've recently been integrating some C++ libraries into C++ based Unreal Engine. It's easier to integrate a C API with Unreal C++ than it is to integrate random C++ project with C++ based Unreal. The fact that C++ doesn't have a standard build system doesn't help. Integrating a C++ library to compile from source requires adapting random build system A with your build system B. There's a reason C++ projects love single-header (or single header + single cpp) C++ libraries with no additional dependencies. Because they don't require jumping through a million hoops.

SubjectToChange 5y ago
> A C API can called by every language under the sun. And is usually only used as a last resort. I've lost count of the number of libraries reimplemented in different languages just to avoid using a C-style API at all. > C is the lingua franca of computer science. Is it? If you were to randomly draw a developer from the body of working programmers, how confident would you really be that they could competently write a good portable C program, or even write one at all? I certainly wouldn't put any money on it. C++ is the preferred language of web browsers, interpreters, games/game engines, GUIs, heterogeneous programming frameworks, and every relevant C compiler. And to reiterate, a C ABI is inherently more fragile than a C++ ABI simply due to the lack of name mangling, among other things. The fact that platforms choose to never touch their libc doesn't change that. But if you have to maintain a C library you will feel this.
- AnimalMuppet 5y ago
  > > C is the lingua franca of computer science. > Is it? If you were to randomly draw a developer from the body of working programmers, how confident would you really be that they could competently write a good portable C program, or even write one at all? I certainly wouldn't put any money on it. Perhaps what they meant is more like "C is the lingua franca of linking". CS people or developers may not be great at writing C code, but almost everything can execute it. C++ of course, but also Java and Python. I think even Haskell can call C code, but I'm not certain of that.
bloodycxx 5y ago
You can use WASM to integrate C++.

SubjectToChange 5y ago

> A C API can called by every language under the sun. And is usually only used as a last resort. I've lost count of the number of libraries reimplemented in different languages just to avoid using a C-style API at all. > C is the lingua franca of computer science. Is it? If you were to randomly draw a developer from the body of working programmers, how confident would you really be that they could competently write a good portable C program, or even write one at all? I certainly wouldn't put any money on it. C++ is the preferred language of web browsers, interpreters, games/game engines, GUIs, heterogeneous programming frameworks, and every relevant C compiler. And to reiterate, a C ABI is inherently more fragile than a C++ ABI simply due to the lack of name mangling, among other things. The fact that platforms choose to never touch their libc doesn't change that. But if you have to maintain a C library you will feel this.

AnimalMuppet 5y ago
> > C is the lingua franca of computer science. > Is it? If you were to randomly draw a developer from the body of working programmers, how confident would you really be that they could competently write a good portable C program, or even write one at all? I certainly wouldn't put any money on it. Perhaps what they meant is more like "C is the lingua franca of linking". CS people or developers may not be great at writing C code, but almost everything can execute it. C++ of course, but also Java and Python. I think even Haskell can call C code, but I'm not certain of that.

bloodycxx 5y ago

You can use WASM to integrate C++.