>From: Rob Kendrick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > "Terje Slettebø" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Unfortunately, the mailing list archive doesn't have a search > > function, and I can't find a FAQ for this, so I'll ask here: Does > > anyone know why C was chosen as an implementation language for > > NetSurf, and not something like C++? > > 1) Reliability, availability, quality, performance and price of > compilers available at the time. > > 2) Familiarity, readability, performance and portability of C. > > 3) I don't think NetSurf would have got as far as it > has if it were written in any other language - a huge number of people > understand C, and I can count the number of people I trust to > write C++ > on the fingers of one hand. We've had contributions, both > small and > large, for a large variety of people. I'm quite confidant > that if it > were written in C++, we would have received a great deal fewer > contributions. It certainly wouldn't have received any > from me, for > example.
Fair enough. > 4) I don't know about the others, but I hate C++ almost as much > as I > hate Perl and Ruby. It's an ugly and hideously complex language. So much for keeping to facts and avoiding flames... Well, beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder, and familiarity and personal preference is very much a part of it. I find C++ to be an elegant and powerful language, and likewise can very elegant and powerful programs be written in it - programs that clearly express the intent of the code, without obscuring it in a mass of low-level details as C use to do. I learned C before I learned C++, 10-15 years ago, and at the time, I liked C, too. Now, I avoid C code if I can, as it tends to be terribly low level and hard to understand. Yes, C++ is a quite complex language, but that complexity allows you to write simpler programs. Anyway, I realise many people prefer C, and my question has been answered. Regards, Terje
