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A comment on The C++ Programming Language (4th Edition). Parent comment

Re:The C++ Programming Language (4th Edition) by yareally on Sunday May 12, 2013 @03:08AM (#5693443)
Correct, they're not exactly the same language, but C can be made to be compatible with C++ compilers (and is sometimes considered a subset of C++, though not exactly true). However, one wouldn't want to assume all bugs, quirks and syntax are 1:1. That would be like saying because you can drive an automatic transmission, you can easily drive a manual without any practice and knowledge beforehand.

Much more info about the compatibility and differences for anyone interested on wikipedia[1].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatibility_of_C_and_C%2B%2B

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Re:The C++ Programming Language (4th Edition) by glurgh on Sunday May 12, 2013 @03:40AM (#5693518)
Oh I didn't mean as a matter of compatibility, although compatibility is (mostly) achievable and they share a syntactic and structural origin.

I just think that their names, common syntax and saying things like 'C++ is a [sort of] superset of C' make people unfamiliar with them think that they are more related than they are. That's why I brought up Python and Ruby - two languages that are different in syntax and many details but in the same conceptual space, whereas C and C++ look more similar, sound like almost the same thing but are, conceptually, on different planets.

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