Why is python not written in C++ ?

[Martin Gregorie]

On Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:54:52 -0700, sturlamolden wrote:

> On 3 Aug, 00:27, Paul Rubin <no.em... at nospam.invalid> wrote:
> 
>> Certain folks in the functional-programming community consider OO to be
>> a 1980's or 1990's approach that didn't work out, and that what it was
>> really trying to supply was polymorphism.  C++ programs these days
>> apparently tend to use template-based generics rather than objects and
>> inheritance for that purpose.
> 
> It avoids virtual function calls at the expense of unreable code and
> errors that are nearly impossible to trace. It seems many thinks this is
> a good idea because Microsoft did this with ATL and WTL. There are also
> those who thinks template metaprogramming is a good idea. But who uses a
> C++ compiler to dumb to unroll a for loop? In my experience, trying to
> outsmart a modern compiler is almost always a bad idea.
> 
>> I have the impression that Ada has an undeservedly bad rap because of
>> its early implementations and its origins in military bureaucracy.
> 
> It is annyingly verbose, reminds me of Pascal (I hate the looks of it),
> and is rumoured to produce slow bloatware. 

> And don't forget Ariane 5 ;)
> 
This had nothing to do with Ada per se and everything to do with 
shortcuts:

- re-use of an Ariane 4 component without changing its parameters
  to match the Ariane 5 flight profile
- not removing Ariane 4-only code intended to handle launch holds
  and not used at all in Ariane 5
- a programming fault that allowed an exception code to be sent
  to another component as if it was valid data.

Inadequate testing allowed all these to be flown without finding the 
errors.

Bottom line: All this would still have happened regardless of the 
programming language used. However, don't just listen to me: read the 
final report on Ariane 501 here: 

http://www.di.unito.it/~damiani/ariane5rep.html


-- 
martin@   | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org       |