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From: bs@alice.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: C++ fine for work now ??
Message-ID: <6680@alice.uUCp>
Date: Wed, 4-Mar-87 09:41:46 EST
Article-I.D.: alice.6680
Posted: Wed Mar  4 09:41:46 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Mar-87 21:15:29 EST
References: <179@pyuxe.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill NJ
Lines: 17
Keywords: C++
Summary: compatibility, stability



> As a manager of an organization
> which is thinking of using C++ to write real world code, I need
> to think about whether the code I write this year will work and
> can be supported next year.

So do I. C++ has an excellent track record for compatibility. In fact,
many of the first CwithClasses programs (now about 6 years old) are still
in use. All changes will be upwards compatible extensions. Any exceptions
to this rule would be simple corrections of generally acknowledged mistakes
(like the change of C from using =+ to using +=); but no such are in the
works.

AT&T alone has hundreds of thousands of lines of C++ code and is not about
to render them illegal. Even if we did want to do something silly it is
unlikely that we would manage to: most C++ installations are outside AT&T.