[nanolith]

One does not need to ever use malloc()/free() or new/delete in C++. For instance, it is very common to use just the DATA and BSS segments in embedded code, and rely on placement-new, which is always deterministic.

Dynamic memory allocation is also a choice in C++.

[pjmlp]

Going a bit off topic, that is something you can also do in Ada or SPARK, while having a more type safe language.

My problem when I used to code in C++ was working with others in corporate projects.

It didn't matter how I strived to write modern code, making use of best practices to write safe code, there were always team members that never moved beyond C with Classes and nevermind having some processes in place to avoid precisely that.

Even nowadays, I get the feeling most developers don't make any use of static analysis.

[nanolith]

Sadly, I don't think that's a problem that a language alone can solve. Ada, for instance, is awesome with its runtime enforcement of design contracts, but all a programmer needs to do is change the contract and chaos ensues.

I'm a huge fan of strong typing. I'm also actively trying to find ways to improve static analysis and formal methods. But, if you can't trust your developers, it all eventually breaks down.

I find that for most mature projects, a good developer needs 3-6 months of ramp-up time, which should include knowledge transfer, training, and restricted commit access. The point of this isn't to haze the developer, but instead to give him/her a chance to fully grok the intent of the mechanisms in the code base and to (hopefully) present and socialize better options in a controlled way. More and more, I've come to the conclusion that a strong team mechanic is one of the mandatory components of good software. DBC, code reviews, unit testing, formal analysis, and static analysis all help to reinforce this mechanism, but if the tribal knowledge of the team breaks down, then so ultimately will the quality of the software produced.