Would you compare C++ to "some language"?
Venkatesh Raja
No, sorry, I won't. You can find the reason in the introductory notes
of The Design and Evolution of C++:
"Several reviewers asked me to compare C++ to other languages. This I
have decided against doing. Thereby, I have reaffirmed a long-standing
and strongly held view: Language comparisons are rarely meaningful and
even less often fair. A good comparison of major programming languages
requires more effort than most people are willing to spend, experience
in a wide range of application areas, a rigid maintenance of a detached
and impartial point of view, and a sense of fairness. I do not have the
time, and as the designer of C++, my impartiality would never be fully
credible.
I also worry about a phenomenon I have repeatedly observed in honest
attempts at language comparisons. The authors try hard to be impartial,
but are hopelessly biased by focusing on a single application, a single
style of programming, or a single culture among programmers. Worse,
when one language is significantly better known than others, a subtle
shift in perspective occurs: Flaws in the well-known language are
deemed minor and simple workarounds are presented, whereas similar
flaws in other languages are deemed fundamental. Often, the workarounds
commonly used in the less-well-known languages are simply unknown to
the people doing the comparison or deemed unsatisfactory because they
would be unworkable in the more familiar language.
Similarly, information about the well-known language tends to be
completely up-to-date, whereas for the less-known language, the authors
rely on several-year-old information. For languages that are worth
comparing, a comparison of language X as defined three years ago vs.
language Y as it appears in the latest experimental implementation is
neither fair nor informative. Thus, I restrict my comments about
languages other than C++ to generalities and to very specific
comments."
That said, I consider C++ the best choice in programming language for a
wide variety of people and applications.
BJARNE STROUSTRUP