C++ is dead, long live C++!

Congrats to the VC++ 2005 team for a write-up like this!

“The truth is that this new development in C++ seriously undermines the justification for C# as a language. C++ programmers yet to learn C# simply don’t need to now. What’s the point? They will find the full productivity of Visual Studio 2005 right there at their fingertips supporting the language they know and love. Why should they move to something that is slower and less feature rich?”

He goes on with choice words about those of us that use C# as either “poor folk who have already invested time in it,” “Java types moving to .NET and smart enough to avoid J#” or “dev-celebs and style gurus will realize that it’s in their interest to keep pushing the C# fashion wagon.” I don’t know which camp I fall into, but I love the phrase “dev-celeb!” : )

I remember being in a conference room many years ago with about 10 members of the VC++ team on one side of the table and me on the other with them drilling me for about an hour on what would it take for me to love C++ and give up C#. I asked for the power and performance of C++ and the simplicity of C#. According to The Grumpy Programmer, they’ve not only delivered on this promise, but

“the painful, balls-on-the-table truth is that C# has lost its point.”

Luckily, no one asked me to put any of my body parts on the conference table that day, but you gotta love a guy that can turn a phrase like that. : )