Compiler do boring work for you? Don't make me laugh. [LWN.net]

Compiler do boring work for you? Don't make me laugh.

Posted Nov 16, 2008 15:16 UTC (Sun) by nix (subscriber, #2304)
In reply to: Compiler do boring work for you? Don't make me laugh. by khim
Parent article: Things that go Clang in the night: LLVM 2.4 released (ars technica)

The 'compiler doing the boring work for you' was a reference to RAII,
obviously. 'Going out of scope firing destructors' being an example of the
compiler doing the boring work for you.

I have no idea why you dislike it: all you've given so far has been
venting.

to post comments

Compiler do boring work for you? Don't make me laugh.

Posted Nov 16, 2008 19:44 UTC (Sun) by mgb (guest, #3226) [Link] (1 responses)

One can use C++ as "C plus extra type checking". Or one can use one or several or all of the C++ features such as virtuals, templates, and exceptions. C++ is great for abstract programs.

But C++ can be a royal pain when it comes to doing real work. Ever tried to open a pipe and handle it through C++ iostreams? Pipes are not available in Windoze so C++ refuses to admit they exist. You're stuck with compiler-specific extensions that change every other release, hidden in a namespace with three underscores.

C++'s operating system support transcends file cabinets in locked basement cupboards guarded by leopards and landmines.

Compiler do boring work for you? Don't make me laugh.

Posted Nov 16, 2008 22:11 UTC (Sun) by avik (guest, #704) [Link]

C doesn't recognize pipes either. You can't access a pipe using FILE *s using Standard C.

(fdopen() is not Standard C)