Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uw-beaver!fluke!mce From: mce@tc.fluke.COM (Brian McElhinney) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer Subject: Re: C/C++ difference? Message-ID: <1991Feb14.004044.6847@tc.fluke.COM> Date: 14 Feb 91 00:40:44 GMT References: Organization: Software of the Mist Lines: 39 jeffb.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (Jeffrey Boser) writes: >1) my think C manual says it is upwards compatable with c++, meaning > think C is lacking something in c++. what exactly is it lacking? For starters, THINK C lacks classes, constructors, destructors, operator overloading, inline functions, non-virtual methods, friends, and user-defined conversion rules. And more. IMHO the only significant C++ feature THINK C has is inheritance of structures. Very different than C++ classes. Comparing THINK C to C++ is like comparing prostitutes and nuns: both are women, but you would be disappointed if you expected one and got the other. >2) from previous conflicts of similar nature (some people think that their > way of doing something is the only way), such decisions are usually > based on ignorance. (usually, not always. remember attitudes about > the mac when it first came out?) why is c++ so important that it > precludes all alternatives? and does it have anything to do with 1? Usage of C++ is, according to some, doubling every year. That rapid growth means lots of reusable classes, and lots of different compilers for lots of different machines. Why invest your effort in a single-vendor language that is only available on one platform? >3) if the state of the art (in mac programming) moves toward that, what > will be the consequences? remember, the toolbox is based on a pascal > library. c is not a good initial language for the mac. The most important, long-range consequence, is that it will be easier to port Mac software to other machines. Which could in turn convince Apple that it is a software company. Nah. Wishful thinking. If you want to develop object oriented software, C++ is the safest choice at the moment. So it has become popular, which makes it even safer. I abhor some of the compromises in C++, but it is here to stay. Brian McElhinney "The two most common things in the universe are mce@tc.fluke.com hydrogen and stupidity." --Harlan Ellison