Are system() calls evil?

Question

I am designing an C++ app that, among other things, executes a few scripts every now and then. The app should be efficient and preferably platform independent.

The i

Answer 1

I maintain a system that consists of several separate executables. In this case I have control over the permissions, names, calling conventions, security over all supported platforms. In this case, system() works just fine. The applications communicate through a RDBMS.

Again, as others have noted "The Devil's in the details".