Re:Non-constant constant-expressions in C++
by evincarofautumn on Sunday April 26, 2015 @06:32PM
(#9443564)
I find it very difficult to read Java code because it tends to be so long-winded and many-layered.
Re:Non-constant constant-expressions in C++
by userbinator on Monday April 27, 2015 @01:50AM
(#9444539)
Java is easy to read at the "micro" level, i.e. the bodies of methods usually don't contain much code; but I think that is precisely what makes it hard to understand at the macro/system level, because that small amount of code depends on a much larger amount throughout the rest of the system, spread across multiple files in different deeply-nested directories. That's when you have to start following chains of method calls, object creations, and class hierarchies.
Java is proof that worse is better. It's never completely unreadable, but it's never pleasantly readable either.
Too much syntax and cleverness is bad for the industry as usually it attracts a lot of smart people who end up writing C++ (or Scala) -- but the problem is that they use a set of patterns+language subset that is unique to the team/company. Therefore knowing C++ does not mean you can just start at a company using C++, you have to learn their way.
Notable exceptions are Java and C#. Java is so simple and verbose that you can't write unreadable code unless you're really evil, it's a shame that the complexity and cleverness is moved to the frameworks (there aren't many "Java programmers", most of them are Spring, etc. specialists). C# works well because MS dictates the patterns (and those patters are usually quite good) while the language itself is very readable and intuitive, without crazy rules.
And there's Lisp/Clojure where there are only a handful simple rules, and cleverness is usually local, e.g. macros or tricky 'functional' data manipulation stuff; but for me that 'local' cleverness is the most understandable.