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In Defense of C++

(dayvster.com)
185 points todsacerdoti | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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jamesdhutton ◴[] No.45272875[source]
> You can write simple, readable, and maintainable code in C++ without ever needing to use templates, operator overloading, or any of the other more advanced features of the language.

Maybe you can do that. But you are probably working in a team. And inevitably someone else in your team thinks that operator overloading and template metaprogramming are beautiful things, and you have to work with their code. I speak from experience.

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dayvster ◴[] No.45272967[source]
This is true and I will concede this point. Appreciate your feedback!

However if I may raise my counter point I like to have a rule that C++ should be written mostly as if you were writing C as much as possible until you need some of it's additional features and complexities.

Problem is when somebody on the team does not share this view though, that much is true :)

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digitalPhonix ◴[] No.45273171[source]
> However if I may raise my counter point I like to have a rule that C++ should be written mostly as if you were writing C as much as possible until you need some of it's additional features and complexities.

How do you define “need” for extra features? C and C++ can fundamentally both do the same thing so if you’re going to write C style C++, why not just write C and avoid all of C++’s foot guns?

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1. dayvster ◴[] No.45273265[source]
Excellent question, I guess it depends on the team mostly how they define which features they need and which are better avoided.

As for why not just go for C. You can write C++ fully as if it were C, you can not ever turn C into C++