Re:C++23: The Next C++ Standard
by JohnFen on Tuesday July 11, 2023 @04:51PM
(#36687042)
Sure, there is a place for operator overloading.
That said, in my experience over the decades, operator overloading has been one of the primary causes of bugs that are very hard to pin down, so I have come to hate it. It hides far too much.
The cost/benefit ratio of operator overloading is generally unfavorable in practice, in my experience. Which is not to say it shouldn't be used when it actually clarifies things! But those situations tend to be fairly niche.
Interestingly, where I work right now, using operator overloading is specifically prohibited. So I'm confident that my dislike of the practice is not just a personal quirk.
That said, in my experience over the decades, operator overloading has been one of the primary causes of bugs that are very hard to pin down, so I have come to hate it. It hides far too much.
The cost/benefit ratio of operator overloading is generally unfavorable in practice, in my experience. Which is not to say it shouldn't be used when it actually clarifies things! But those situations tend to be fairly niche.
Interestingly, where I work right now, using operator overloading is specifically prohibited. So I'm confident that my dislike of the practice is not just a personal quirk.