Re:Why not C++?
by jokoon on Saturday March 05, 2016 @03:00PM
(#11230786)
The only thing that has always been behind, and might still be for a couple of years, is the include system, which causes huge delays when compiling and linking, even when editing one single file.
When I make edits and hit build, the old C include system kicks in and it's a very long process. I'm using C++ but precompiled headers are not a standard (many details will prevent you to use them) and there are not decent ways to reduce build time to bearable ranges.
I'm sure this is the main point that makes C++ so unattractive. If you're a programmer, having shorter code-write/build/test/repeat cycles is important if you don't want to lose focus on what you're doing. I don't know if build delays are specific to C++ or specific to microsoft, but if modules were available in some beta form I would try them ASAP. Even platform specific techniques would interest me...
So yes, I'll love C++, but not only the ABI and build configs are not easily solved by CMake, but build times will never make C++ attractive enough. It's not not realistic to pretend you can be really productive with C++.
When I make edits and hit build, the old C include system kicks in and it's a very long process. I'm using C++ but precompiled headers are not a standard (many details will prevent you to use them) and there are not decent ways to reduce build time to bearable ranges.
I'm sure this is the main point that makes C++ so unattractive. If you're a programmer, having shorter code-write/build/test/repeat cycles is important if you don't want to lose focus on what you're doing. I don't know if build delays are specific to C++ or specific to microsoft, but if modules were available in some beta form I would try them ASAP. Even platform specific techniques would interest me...
So yes, I'll love C++, but not only the ABI and build configs are not easily solved by CMake, but build times will never make C++ attractive enough. It's not not realistic to pretend you can be really productive with C++.