Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mailrus!umix!umich!mibte!gamma!ulysses!andante!alice!bs From: bs@alice.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++ Subject: Re: C++ as a better C (fact or fiction)? Message-ID: <7854@alice.UUCP> Date: 6 May 88 21:39:34 GMT References: <6590041@hplsla.HP.COM> <7853@alice.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill NJ Lines: 28 Summary: fact I have seen reports on several large internal AT&T project using C++ as ``a better C''. They were happy and even the crudest measurements showed improvements that could not be attributed to other sources. I am NOT talking about toy projects or projects staffed exclusively by MIT PhDs or projects chosen for a specifically perfect fit with some C++ features. An interesting aspect is that the benefits appears to increase with time as peoples expertice grows and as people drifts towards using C++ as a ``data abstraction language'' where those techniques are appropriate. The smooth integration of the various features seems to ease the introduction of new techniques into environments where one could not easily ``stop the world'' while changing to a new system and allows programmers and designers to learn at their own pace. This approach can work and so can the approach of throwing people into ``object-oriented programming'' head first. I strongly suspect that these approaches suplements each other and allows people to use a style of programming/design that suits their temprament, skills, and needs. I don't see people using C++ as only ``a better C'' for long, though. With C++ in place the drift towards the more advanced features and techniques is just about inevitable - the benefits and opportunities simply becomes too obvious to resist.