[kragen]

C++ is the only realistic option for some things, but it's not without serious problems. Intelligent criticism of a formal system, such as a programming language, is what allows us to make better ones in the future.

If you honestly think there's no point in trying to make better programming languages, you're welcome to continue programming in FORTRAN IV. But don't expect other people to take your opinion seriously about what "serves no purpose".

[shawn-butler]

Can you point to where I said any such thing?

The point was simple: language bashing/trolling is childish. It is hard to take seriously a project with that kind of statement in its introduction.

If instead it said Rust does X in order to achieve goal Y, that would be more useful.

[kragen]

"Language bashing" is merely a derogatory term for "language criticism". Language criticism is, as I said, a necessary foundation for designing better languages; if existing languages are flawless, then designing new ones would simply be part of "the Greatest New Thing(TM) every x years treadmill" that you referred to in your initial comment. On the other hand, if you can identify real problems in existing languages, then you have some hope of designing new languages that are actually better, not just newer. But you can't do that without "language bashing". Without "language bashing", we'd still be back at FORTRAN IV. And if that's what you want, you can probably live in FORTRAN-world.

"Trolling" is bullshitting to provoke a response; your accusation there, if we take you at your word, would have to be that the Rust developers are developing a new programming language as a sort of hoax in order to get a rise out of C++ programmers.

I don't think it really serves your point well to suggest that Graydon Hoare, Brian Anderson, Sebastian Sylvan, Samsung, and so on, are "childish" and "hard to take seriously" and dishonest, because that requires us to choose between taking Graydon and Samsung et al. seriously and taking you, Shawn Butler, seriously. This is a competition that will be hard for you to win. Perhaps instead you could find a way to couch your criticism (whatever it is) in a way that makes it easier to accept. As it is, only people who have a pre-existing hate for Graydon or Samsung will be inclined to accept your argument.

[shawn-butler]

You have failed to understand a one-line sentence and inflated it into some agenda entirely of your own creation and are attributing it falsely to me.

The contention was simple and utterly straightforward. Having a conjectural and value laden statement that is false and using it in an introduction gives me pause. Doing so persuades people holding surface knowledge (as evidenced by this comment thread) but gives people with experience a different response.

Now you are making an appeal to authority.

[kragen]

I really don't think I'm the one who's failing here. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to programming embedded systems in C++.