Thread: the language of the gods - C++

"Music is the language of the Gods." - Gary L. McCann
"So is C++." - Me
"Java doesn't even come close." - Also by me

C++ isn't that great for everything...I don't like super object oriented programming. i use inheritance in one class in my game engine, and all of my other classes are basically just structs, and it's that simple design that makes life easy for me. I love seeing people write templated polymorphic object oriented 'game engines' that look complicated and do absolutely nothing

EDIT:
of course that's a proven design that works for me...i think it depends on the individual. a, uhm, friend told me that the source code to some new game engine that was stolen off of the internet somehow is super object oriented, and it's supposed to be a hit game, but I don't know what it is...

half-life 2

C++ is the best language by far for my particular area. I wont argue about its use in areas I havent played in. But I've used quite a number of languages and for standard app development, it. is. the. best.

And OOP is god. The beauty of it is not so much in small application development, as in the development of base level code such as engines for large projects. OOP is nice for basically everything, but its real strength lies in its robust usability, error management, and design cleanliness. I would wet myself if I was ever forced to write a 2000+ line app withough OOP design.

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>I would wet myself if I was ever forced to write a 2000+ line app withough OOP design.
2000+? That would be nice with or without OOD because it suggests a small and easy project. If the specification suggests 2k+ and goes over 10k without adding signifigant features, the project team has issues.

>OOP is nice for basically everything
In my experience, OOP is like alcohol: best used in moderation. Just about everyone who hails OOP as the best thing since binary overuses it to the point where their code is bloated and of poor quality. On the other hand, when used sparingly and intelligently, OOP can result in elegant and robust designs.

Originally posted by Silvercord
People seem to forget that a function is a module. People also seem to forget that C is still a language based on objects, just without strict type safety. You can implement a lot of the useful functionality of C++ in C, i.e with so-called polymorphic data types you can have a structure with function pointers which are initialized based on whatever type you want to create, which is all a C++ virtual table is anyway. Although there are definitely times when I am glad I have C++.

EDIT:
I'm afraid to bring this up, because the cprogramming boards might explode, but I have done some normal winAPI programming, and then I went to try to learn MFC...and MFC was too confusing for what I wanted to get out of it, so I just went home, took a crap, and then stuck with normal winapi programming.

MFC != C++. I'm not a big fan of it, either.

I've recently been trying to switch my brain from C to C++, but I can't for the life of me figure out why I'd need to make some things classes when I could do the same thing procedularly with less of a headache. That's about all I've been struggling with, though - I guess I just need to get used to it. Right now I just know procedural better than OOP so I guess it seems like overkill to code classes for certain things.

I prefer C. I use linux, my kernel is made from C. Makes sence to use the "official" language of my operating system. For OOP, I use Python.

It's not that the statement doesn't make since, it's just that they are different var types, and can not be compared with that simple operator.

MFC is just a set of classes. C++ is a language.

Originally posted by Silvercord
this statement doesn't even make sense and I'm trying to figure out where you are coming from with it...

>>I'm afraid to bring this up, because the cprogramming boards might explode, but I have done some normal winAPI programming, and then I went to try to learn MFC...and MFC was too confusing for what I wanted to get out of it, so I just went home, took a crap, and then stuck with normal winapi programming.<<

It seemed like you were implying that MFC was the C++ version of WinAPI programming, which it most certainly is not. If you weren't, then nevermind .

Originally posted by ZakkWylde969
I prefer C. I use linux, my kernel is made from C. Makes sence to use the "official" language of my operating system. For OOP, I use Python.

Quoted for being quite possibly the stupidest thing I've ever read.

>2000+? That would be nice with or without OOD because it suggests a small and easy project.

True. But I find that a more OOP based app comes together in a more orderly fashion. The brain lends itself more to an object oriented concept than a modular one. We dont think in random chunks. OOP has a certain flow that, though I cont put it in words, usually results in less design errors.

>In my experience, OOP is like alcohol: best used in moderation.

Heh... Maybe that wasnt the best analogy, seeing as how I've been partying almost every night for the last... hmmm... 8 years. Seriously though, I see no issue with using an OO design in basically every situation except extremly small applications. Yes, its possible that bloating could occure in situations, but its not a fact. Everything has dangers. I just know that my OO apps are far more robust, more error free, easier to upkeep, more easily readable, and far easier to interface code with in general.

Anyhow, I'm just raving on now. Its just that I used to use modular design over OO, and now that I'm a convert I have no idea how I ever managed without it. Its strongly my opinion that you need to have a firm understanding of it to ever write a commercial grade application.

K, I'm finally done.