Standard C++ Moves Beyond Vapor

An Anonymous Coward++ writes "This google thread announces the first C++ compiler that can actually handle the whole language (we'd been waiting for half a decade here). The company that did it is EDG. They're a tiny outfit, but they're apparently also behind the Intel compiler (both on Windows with Visual C++ extensions, and on Linux with GCC extensions). There are rumors they can compile the Linux kernel too."

Comments

Re:10?

[BryceH]

the worst part is its moded up :) moderators apparently dont read _at least_ the headlines...

Re:So, what DOES linux compile with?

[keesh]

gcc 2.x. Just not 2.96, because it doesn't exist.

What is "standard?"

[bcrowell]

I just got through reading GNU Autoconf, Automake, and Libtool (copylefted, also available in print from New Riders). Doesn't it say something about the language's lack of standardization if you have to read a long technical book in order to understand how to use the tools that let you make your code portable? Internationally blessed standards are fine, but the time required for everyone to support standard n seems to be about 10 years, which is about the same as the time for standard n+1 to come out.

C was originally designed as a low-level systems programming language that would let you get close to the hardware. It was envisioned as a slightly higher-level version of assembly language. For that kind of work, it's a miracle if you get any reusable code from one platform to the next. But how did C end up becoming the language of choice for application programming?? It's a disaster.

C is like masturbation --- not very good, but always available.

We need an engineer who knows the whole language!

[WolfWithoutAClause]

I mean, writing a compiler that can compile it is one thing, but i'm not sure that any reasonably percentage of the population actually can use it.

In my opinion, and I've done a LOT of both C and C++; C++ is just a rotten language. I've nothing against a launguage that can run fast. I just don't think that in these days of >2Ghz processors that 99% of software engineers need that much speed most of the time; and forcing engineers to code in a particular style that enforces speed but impacts reliability is just crazy.I'm fed up with my software core dumping, memory leaking and inappropriately casting. I'm tired of switch statements that fall through by default. I really hate off by one errors blowing away the end of an array. And I really hate the way its so easy to write software that is susceptible to buffer overrun attacks.

Let's face it, C++ is slightly warmed over 1973 technology, and it really, really shows.

Re:A replacement for C++

[smallstepforman]

Troll alert!!!

Thank you, you have been trolled (all posts arguing with him).