C++ for stable future?

[BrilloPad]

Have they dumbed the requirements down enough to get Churchill out of his permie job?

I thought you were going to start being nice?

[DodgyAgent]

I thought you were going to start being nice?

It was too good an opportunity to miss

[BlasterBates]

The performance difference at runtime between java and C++ today is negligible. Sounds like the problems there are more architecture rather than down to choice of language.

The difference in time taken to create and maintain programs in Java and C++ however is not negligible.

Maybe Java has improved but a few years ago, the bank I worked at had a lot of problems with things like garbage collection (completely stopping the application at peak trading times), incompatible java libraries etc etc, to the extent where the applications were no easier to maintain. In any case the main problem with maintenance in C++ was due to lack of standard containers (eg vectors), a major headache which has now been solved.
Developing in C++ these days is quite simple.

In my experience maintainability is due to design and organisation rather than choice of language.

[VectraMan]

In my experience maintainability is due to design and organisation rather than choice of language.

I agree. It's just as easy to make a complete mess in any language.

Having said that, I do think there are a lot of positive things about Java and C# in as much as being a tidied up C++ with 99% of the power. But at the end of the day if you don't want limitations and want full control, C++ is the best tool.

[Oscar]

C++ replaced quicker than COBOL

But if we compare with COBOL, is it resonable to think C/C++ will be replaced quicker? (I can imagine that COBOL is good at what it is doing, and C/C++ had some disadvantages compared to it)

Oscar