What would be C++ limitations compared C language? [closed]

Answer 1

There are loads of arguments about embedded programming, performance and stuff, I don't buy them. C++ easily compares to C in those areas. However:

Just recently after having programmed in C++ for over 15 years I've been rediscovering my C roots. I must say that while there are good features in C++ that makes life easier there are also a load of pitfalls and a kind of "there-is-always-a-better-way" of doing things. You never actually get quite happy about the solution you did. (Don't get me wrong, this could be a good thing, but mostly not).

C++ gives you infinite gunfire. Which could be arguably good but somehow you always end up using too much of it. This means that you are disguising your solutions with "nice" and "pretty" layers of abstractions, generality, etc.

What I discovered going back to C was that it was actually fun programming again. Having spent so much time modeling and thinking about how to best use inheritance I find that programming in C actually makes my source code smaller and more readable. This is of course depending on you level of self-discipline. But it is very easy to put too much abstractions on straight forward code, which is never actually needed.

Answer 2

Windows kernel development doesn't support c++ (sadly).

Answer 3

1. C is a simple language, C++ is not. For many people, C++ is simply too complicated to fully master, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B#Criticism.

2. Because of the complexity, different programmers usually only master different subsets of the language. It makes reading other people's code painful.

3. The complexity, pitfalls of the language add too much distraction, and sometimes hurt productivity. Instead of focus on the job itself, I often found myself fighting with the language itself. Java/python are more productive alternatives.

4. Debugging a broken C code is usually much more straightforward than debugging a broken C++ code.

5. Unlike Java/C#, the C++ standard library achieves little beyond the scope of the C standard library.

6. Some famous programmers like Linus Torvalds (Linux) and Richard Stallman (Emacs) dislike C++.

Answer 4

I've never seen any arguments for using C over C++ that I'd consider convincing. I think most people are afraid of certain features C++ offers, often justifiably. Yet this doesn't convince me because one can enforce whether or not to use certain features through coding standards. Even in C, there's much you'd want to avoid. Discarding C++ entirely is essentially saying it offers no tangible benefits over C that would help one write better code, which is a view I consider to be quite ignorant.

Additionally, people always seem to raise the situation of platforms where no C++ compiler exists. Certainly C would be appropriate here, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a platform like that these days.

Answer 5

I use C, or at least export a C interface when I write library code.

I don't want ill-defined ABI hassles.

Answer 6

Most people seem to think that C and C++ are somehow related, but they are sadly mistaken. C++ is a completely different language than C.

In C++, you think in terms of objects and how they are related to each other. In C, you think in terms of APIs. It's like the difference between day and 17.

A poor analogy: if someone adds Chinese to English and calls it English++, you probably wouldn't feel comfortable to add a Chinese line to your latest love letter, because it's so much easier to express love in this part of English++.