[Geany-Devel] Let's move to C++98 - Re: Lets move to C99

[Nick Treleaven]

On 01/09/2013 02:36, Matthew Brush wrote:
> On 13-08-29 05:08 AM, Nick Treleaven wrote:
>> On 29/08/2013 02:39, Matthew Brush wrote:
>>> [...]
>>
>>> If we were to use C++, I think it'd be pointless to limit it to
>>> CFront/CwithClasses-style 1980's C++. We should use common/standard
>>> stuff like standard library containers, inheritance (maybe not
>>> multipl-inheritance), the class keyword, templates (where it makes
>>> sense), exceptions, etc. The issues/limits being discussed in this
>>> thread are issues long since considered "resolved" or "non-issues" for a
>>> long time for desktop software (and since a *long* time even before
>>> Geany's first line of code was written :). The style of code I read on
>>> the net and in talks and books and stuff is modern (ie. >= C++98) style
>>> C++ and I'd expect that's what the bulk of C++-using contributors would
>>> be used to using.
>>
>> Idiomatic C++ takes a *lot* of learning and experience to get right for
>> someone coming from C.
>>
>
> Do you think there's more C-only programmers out there contributing to
> desktop application projects than C++ programmers? I honestly don't know
> but my instinct says there isn't.

If you mean open source projects, then yes. Somewhat difficult to 
measure, but some (possibly flawed) stats:

Here C has at least twice the share of C++:
http://lang-index.sourceforge.net/

In terms of noise on the web, here C also has approaching twice that of C++:
http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html

Also even if there were more C++ programmers, it would still be much 
easier for a C++ programmer to write C than vice versa.

P.S. Sorry for the late replies, also to Lex ;-) Been AFK a lot lately.