Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!gatech!ncsuvx!ecemwl!jnh
From: jnh@ecemwl.ncsu.edu (Joseph N. Hall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: ThinkSpeed C++--------
Message-ID: <3949@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Date: 13 Sep 89 19:33:51 GMT
References: <336@castle.ed.ac.uk> <13519@well.UUCP> <6494@columbia.edu> <1478@bnlux0.bnl.gov>
Sender: news@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jnh@ecemwl.UUCP (Joseph N. Hall)
Organization: North Carolina State University
Lines: 36

In article <1478@bnlux0.bnl.gov> drs@bnlux0.UUCP (David R. Stampf) writes:
>In article <6494@columbia.edu> kearns@cs.columbia.edu writes:
>
>>The bottom line is:  no serious developer should write code that uses the
>>new Think C 4.0 object oriented extensions.  The resulting code will not
>>be portable across platforms, and the code will probably be rewritten for
>>C++ someday anyway.  
>
>	Get real.  The LSC extensions are a powerful tool for using the
>mac.  Since mac code is inherently non-portable anyway, I don't see that
>it matters.
>
I absolutely agree.  Although there are features of C++ (operator overloading,
for one) that I would very much like to have at my disposal, it doesn't
really matter to me one way or the other HOW a functional class library is
implemented, just that it's usable.

I don't see C++ being a speedy development environment, or a stable (and
proven) one, on the Mac -- not for at least a year after the initial release
(which will be cfront, I am lead to believe) from APDA.  Furthermore, the
MacApp licensing fee disgusts me, and MacApp will be the C++ class library
... NOT EVEN WRITTEN IN C++.

The THINK C language is far from ideal, but I don't think C++ is perfect
either.  The implementation of OOP environments has a long way to go yet.

Right now, I'm enjoying using the THINK Class Library, and appreciate both
the presence of source code (NeXT Step == no source) and the licensing fee
($0 per year).  Porting a TCL application to C++ will be nontrivial, I admit,
but it might not even be worth the effort for years.


v   v sssss|| joseph hall                      || 4116 Brewster Drive
 v v s   s || jnh@ecemwl.ncsu.edu (Internet)   || Raleigh, NC  27606
  v   sss  || SP Software/CAD Tool Developer, Mac Hacker and Keyboardist
-----------|| Disclaimer: NCSU may not share my views, but is welcome to.