[maximilianburke]

GC may be faster in terms of total amount of time spent managing memory but smart pointers are more predictable. Many domains in which C++ is used are more sensitive to the performance spikes that can arise in GC'd environments than they are to the more expensive but also more spread out cost of managing reference counted objects. Many video game technical directors would choose spending 1ms/30hz frame in memory bookkeeping rather than going 29 frames with no problems only to encounter a 15ms GC hiccup.