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From: mbenveni@irisa.irisa.fr (benveniste marc,lsp)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Eiffel vs. C++
Message-ID: <1267@irisa.UUCP>
Date: 7 Jun 89 13:10:13 GMT
References: <77300027@p.cs.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@irisa.UUCP
Lines: 24

From article <77300027@p.cs.uiuc.edu>, by johnson@p.cs.uiuc.edu:
> 
> My favorite language is Smalltalk.  I also do a lot of C++ programming.
> I have never programmed in Eiffel, but I read the book.
> 
> Eiffel is a much more elegant language than C++.  C++ is more-or-less
> upward compatible with C, which is both its greatest strength and its
> greatest weakness.  C programmers will find it easy to program in C++,
> though they might take a while to learn how to use it to best advantage.
> Since there are so many C programmers, this means that C++ has a tremendous
> marketing advantage. 
  ^^^^^^^^^
  
 Although It may sound anachronistic and/or idealistic, I believe that
programming languages should be chosen based on criteria such as security
(in its wider sense), reliability, extensibility, readability etc. rather 
than by its marketing advantage or upwards compatibility with widespread 
traditions. 
 We surely don't want to reinvent the wheel, but we can't let an inadequate
component flaw a design just because everybody likes it and works with it;
we would be trapped in a vicious circle.


Disclaimer: No affiliation... except, perhaps, candidness.