> That'd be true if every project started from scratch with only the language standard library. And yet..... almost any project you start is going to be depende

> That'd be true if every project started from scratch with only the language standard library. And yet..... almost any project you start is going to be dependent on a large chunk of code you didn't write, even on greenfield projects. I think this is true, and I'd refine my original statement accordingly. My original comment was thinking more from first principles, not as much about pragmatic considerations of ecosystem support. If we were to disregard the momentum of existing ecosystems, I think C/C++ would be niche choices today: very important for certain, focused use cases, but not meant for the masses. Taking into account the momentum of existing ecosystems however, they still play a large role in many domains.