Why is python not written in C++ ?

[sturlamolden]

On 3 Aug, 00:27, Paul Rubin <no.em... at nospam.invalid> wrote:

> Certain folks in the functional-programming community consider OO to be
> a 1980's or 1990's approach that didn't work out, and that what it was
> really trying to supply was polymorphism.  C++ programs these days
> apparently tend to use template-based generics rather than objects and
> inheritance for that purpose.  

It avoids virtual function calls at the expense of unreable code and
errors that are nearly impossible to trace. It seems many thinks this
is a good idea because Microsoft did this with ATL and WTL. There are
also those who thinks template metaprogramming is a good idea. But who
uses a C++ compiler to dumb to unroll a for loop? In my experience,
trying to outsmart a modern compiler is almost always a bad idea.

> I have the impression that Ada has an undeservedly bad rap because of
> its early implementations and its origins in military bureaucracy.  

It is annyingly verbose, reminds me of Pascal (I hate the looks of
it), and is rumoured to produce slow bloatware. And don't forget
Ariane 5 ;)


> I'd
> certainly consider it as an alternative to C or C++ if I had to write a
> big program in a traditional procedural language.

I still prefer Fortran 95 :-)