02 12 / 2012
Why C++ is back.
I love C++, too. It’s an amazing tool.
Six years ago I began my never-ending learning experience, programming. It started with an arcane toolkit called Jamagic (which was unfortunately discontinued). Jamagic’s scripting language, JamagicScript is an amalgamation of C++, Java, and multimedia wrappers that allow for simple games and “simulators” to be developed without extensive knowledge of math or programming—a perfect fit for an eager ten year-old. It wasn’t, at least for me. I soon grew tired of Jamagic primarily due to the abstract nature of it; I wanted to program, not point and click (albeit with some scripting).
This lead me to C, a succinct and pragmatic language—a perfect fit for me. I quickly picked up the ropes (memory management, pointer arithmetic, etc.). I started hammering out code. I could keep track of my piggy bank, or determine prime numbers! I felt amazing, because I was creating. As I became more adjusted to the intricacies of the language I picked up C++. Over the next three years I learned about the Win32 API and the underlying structures that made Windows. I mastered C++, or so I thought.
C++ is ever evolving (as is my knowledge of it1). The latest standard, C++11 definitely makes it easier to become proficient. Making it easier to learn might be a natural extension of that: smart pointers are an incredibly powerful abstraction that might help new programmers, lambdas make code more succinct thus more understandable, etc. With C++ becoming more accessible it is illogical to dissuade newcomers from learning C++, perhaps shameful:
Knowledge. Learning a craft or skill is hard, C++ especially so. It requires perseverance and courage—fundamental skills for success (especially as a founder) that a large portion of today’s youth lack. Learning C++ also results in heaps domain specific knowledge. The same goes for functional languages.
Hireability. As mentioned previously, extensive domain specific knowledge is acquired, and that knowledge is in heavy demand. Especially bit twiddling (which I assume pays better).
Portability. C# and Java require virtual machines, that immediately limits portability to supported platforms. Abstractions leak: threading is a great example of this (Go is an honourable mention here; it handles concurrency elegantly). Furthermore, embedded systems require C or a relative like C++, or Obj-C.
To summarize, more and more companies are relying on C and C++. Learning an in demand skill is a no-brainer, and with C++ becoming “easier” to learn we have produced a low-hanging fruit. Expect a resurgence.
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