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My impression as a CS grad is that very few computer science courses require you to learn C++.

xigoi 4y ago
I'm studying Mathematical Informatics and we have C++ as the first language.
tempest_ 4y ago
It really depends on what bit of computer science you are learning. C++ is definitely past its prime and has been surpassed in many areas by other languages but there are still a bunch of domains where it is the primary language.
- mbrodersen 4y ago
  How about almost all domains? Everything in the world runs on top of browsers/operating systems/drivers/VMs/networks/embedded systems etc. that are written in C/C++. Not to mention that the tools used to design chips and manufacture them are also written in C/C++. No other language comes even close.
  - moltonel3x 4y ago
    Having C or C++ somewhere in the lower levels of your stack doesn't make them the primary language for your domain. Other wise CPU microcode would be the primary language of every domain.
- ncmncm 4y ago
  In fact there is plenty that can be expressed only in C++. A person making effective use of the power of the language finds anything else a huge step down. Anyone not having fun when coding C++ is doing it wrong.
  - jstimpfle 4y ago
    Example of some well-written code that expresses things that can only be expressed in C++?
    - sk0g 4y ago
      I'm far from the most experienced in C++, but friend classes/functions do not seem to have a direct equivalent in any other language.
      - socialdemocrat 4y ago
        Because you don’t need them in other languages.
      - ncmncm 4y ago
        NB: Friend-this and -that are not among powerful features of C++.
      - int_19h 4y ago
        In C#, nested classes are effectively friends with their outer class, and it's used quite often in practice. On the other end of expressivity, in Eiffel, every class member is declared as visible to specific other classes; if you want something to be public, you say that it's visible to ANY, which is the universal base class similar to e.g. Object in Java.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
femtogram 4y ago
what languages you learn at university highly depends on the specific school you are at, the professors, and which companies are donating the most money. it's certainly not a great representation of what is going on in the industry as a whole.
germandiago 4y ago
My impression is that C++ is used in the real world though. :)
- fancyfredbot 4y ago
  Yes that is true but I'm responding to the up stream comment saying "you are required to learn it if you are studying CS". There is a common perception that computer science degrees are about learning things like C++ but my experience is that most emphasise more abstract skills like data structures, algorithms, complexity, formal program design, etc.
  - germandiago 4y ago
    Not at all. Computer science and engineering (I think this is different degrees in US but in Spain it was a BS + Master when I studied) is about algorithms, data structures, big O notation complexity in algorihtms, client/server architecture, hardware and assembly, understanding all the underlying math, networking, even HPC and advanced data structures when you keep choosing specialized subjects, but not learning a single tool for the sake of it for programming. In fact, it is the least relevant part when you are studying. You learn tools better after you end the degree IMHO.

I'm studying Mathematical Informatics and we have C++ as the first language.

It really depends on what bit of computer science you are learning. C++ is definitely past its prime and has been surpassed in many areas by other languages but there are still a bunch of domains where it is the primary language.

mbrodersen 4y ago
How about almost all domains? Everything in the world runs on top of browsers/operating systems/drivers/VMs/networks/embedded systems etc. that are written in C/C++. Not to mention that the tools used to design chips and manufacture them are also written in C/C++. No other language comes even close.
- moltonel3x 4y ago
  Having C or C++ somewhere in the lower levels of your stack doesn't make them the primary language for your domain. Other wise CPU microcode would be the primary language of every domain.
ncmncm 4y ago
In fact there is plenty that can be expressed only in C++. A person making effective use of the power of the language finds anything else a huge step down. Anyone not having fun when coding C++ is doing it wrong.
- jstimpfle 4y ago
  Example of some well-written code that expresses things that can only be expressed in C++?
  - sk0g 4y ago
    I'm far from the most experienced in C++, but friend classes/functions do not seem to have a direct equivalent in any other language.
    - socialdemocrat 4y ago
      Because you don’t need them in other languages.
    - ncmncm 4y ago
      NB: Friend-this and -that are not among powerful features of C++.
    - int_19h 4y ago
      In C#, nested classes are effectively friends with their outer class, and it's used quite often in practice. On the other end of expressivity, in Eiffel, every class member is declared as visible to specific other classes; if you want something to be public, you say that it's visible to ANY, which is the universal base class similar to e.g. Object in Java.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

femtogram 4y ago

what languages you learn at university highly depends on the specific school you are at, the professors, and which companies are donating the most money. it's certainly not a great representation of what is going on in the industry as a whole.

germandiago 4y ago

My impression is that C++ is used in the real world though. :)

fancyfredbot 4y ago
Yes that is true but I'm responding to the up stream comment saying "you are required to learn it if you are studying CS". There is a common perception that computer science degrees are about learning things like C++ but my experience is that most emphasise more abstract skills like data structures, algorithms, complexity, formal program design, etc.
- germandiago 4y ago
  Not at all. Computer science and engineering (I think this is different degrees in US but in Spain it was a BS + Master when I studied) is about algorithms, data structures, big O notation complexity in algorihtms, client/server architecture, hardware and assembly, understanding all the underlying math, networking, even HPC and advanced data structures when you keep choosing specialized subjects, but not learning a single tool for the sake of it for programming. In fact, it is the least relevant part when you are studying. You learn tools better after you end the degree IMHO.