GC is perfectly fine for ~99% of applications, which is why all the languages in the last few decades adopted it, and eliminated themselves from being direct C/

GC is perfectly fine for ~99% of applications, which is why all the languages in the last few decades adopted it, and eliminated themselves from being direct C/C++ competitors. Lack of GC isn't a requirement for most programs. However, it is a requirement for a language meant to actually replace C and C++, because these two are mostly used in the remaining fraction of programs and libraries where any GC or any fat runtime is undesirable. Even where some GC could be made to work, it makes it a tough sell for C/C++ users.