Message-Id: Comments: Authenticated sender is From: "Salvador Eduardo Tropea (SET)" Organization: INTI To: g DOT reed AT clear DOT net DOT nz (Glenn Reed), djgpp AT delorie DOT com Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 11:01:01 +0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Re: Which is best? C or C++ ??? In-reply-to: <348a15e5.826895@news.clear.net.nz> Precedence: bulk g DOT reed AT clear DOT net DOT nz (Glenn Reed) wrote: > Can someone break through all the hype for me. Which is the better > language C or C++? I suppose I should qualify it. > > 1. Some people say that C is more efficient than C++ but does this > still matter with the faster computers, eg 486s, Pentiums. How much > more inefficient is it? You can use a C++ compiler to compile a pure C code, so there is no reason to say that C++ is slower. You must know what you are doing when you crate things like virtual members, that's all. > 2. The claim is also that it reduces runtime bug hunting. The syntax checks of C++ are much correct than the ones in C. That helps to track errors in the code. > However > I've noticed that C++ is also more complex and executes code hidden > behind the scenes. eg. constructors, destructors, > operator-overloading. But if you know what is each of these things there is no code hided. You can know what the compiler will generate. And again: you don't need to exploit all the C++ things if you don't need it. > Are the runtime bugs just manifesting in > different ways? > > 3. Perhaps the only legitimate claim and that it is written with > large project development in mind so it makes the concept of > interfacing more straightforward. Multi-person programming projects > might have less bugs at the interface level because the interface is > much more well defined???? Yes, C++ is very good for large projects when there are at least one coordinator and the program (and interfaces) are very well defined. That doesn't mean you can't use it ;-) > 4. Most code (particularly with the DJGPP projects) seems to be > written in C these days, and fewer stuff written in C++. Is this > because of the GPL license stuff or because it is harder and more > difficult (and hence takes a lot more time) to write in C++. My sugestion is to use C code with .cc extentions (to compile as C++) and take advantage of the features that you need from C++. Never make a small program using cout and defining a class for nothing, that's more difficult and have no sense. SET ------------------------------------ 0 -------------------------------- Visit my home page: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/6552/ Salvador Eduardo Tropea (SET). (Electronics Engineer) Alternative e-mail: set-sot AT usa DOT net - ICQ: 2951574 Address: Curapaligue 2124, Caseros, 3 de Febrero Buenos Aires, (1678), ARGENTINA TE: +(541) 759 0013