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by skurmedel 4861 days ago
Invent a good alternative then. There are reasons why you don't run Haskell in a fighter jet.

And you can certainly write crappy Haskell too. It is hip to shit on C++, I get it. But for some types of software there is not a good alternative.
3 comments
tinco 4861 days ago
I fully agree it is quite easy and maybe even too easy to write crappy Haskell but that is completely beside the point. I don't shit on C++ because that is a hip thing to do, whatever that means. C++ is still used in some fields, and obviously C# and Haskell (and by extension all modern languages) suck for those fields.

I think C++ was a bad idea from the start, because it attempts to be a strict superset of C, which is like trying to win a race while being tied to the current front runner. It might have allowed C++ to use the rope to get in front, but now its in front it just drags the language down.

I am trying to invent a good alternative, but obviously that is easier said than done. I like to talk about it openly and provocatively so others who are more qualified to do it might jump in and try too.

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skurmedel 4860 days ago
It is by no means perfect. But I think some parts of C++ is quite clever too. Templates might allow horrible code, but every time you write a container type in C or Go, you wish you had them.
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smosher 4861 days ago
> But for some types of software there is not a good alternative.

This is exactly it. As much as many people dislike C++, not having it at all would be very bad for some areas. Users of the next major systems language should regard C++ in much the same way as (willing) users of C++ regard C.

The takeaway here should be about how much better the future can be, not how bad the present looks. The former is hopefully much less controversial than the latter.

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hermanhermitage 4861 days ago
Sorry... Fat finger trade - I accidentally downvoted you instead of up (not sure how to revert it)

Pity the down vote isn't on the far right of the heading.

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unimpressive 4861 days ago
You can't revert it, I have remedied the situation by giving the grandparent an upvote. It was a deserving comment anyway.
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