Re: [Bug-gnubg] GNUBG / GNU Coding Standards - C and or C++ - feedback wanted

[Øystein Schønning-Johansen]

Hi!

I must admit that I'm not a big fan of C++ but at least it does not
make me sick (like Perl does).

I usually have problems seeing what you can gain from using C++ over C?

+ you get better abstraction with C++.
+ you get templates which may simplify some things.
+ you get operator overloading.
+ you get a real inheritance system.
(I'll keep STL and Boost out of this list as I consider these
something else than C++)

Yes, these are sometimes good things, but I opt to say these could be
bad things as well. True: you get better abstraction. Templates
however can give really strange side effects. Operator overloading is
also a feature that takes away control of the programmer, and can lead
to hours in the debugger. I also see really little use for operator
overloading in backgammon software. Maybe in the search algorithm can
overload > and < ? Maybe a board type can operator overload + for a
move to apply the move to a board. But really, I don't feel that
enhances the readability.
Getting a real inheritance system is not only good either. OO Designer
will say that you should basically not inherit, since inheritance is
the hardest coupling of them all. HAS-A is better than an IS-A.
Abstract types and interfaces are ok, but you can mimic that in C as
well. (Abstraction C can also be really good!)

I would say that we should stay away from C++ at any means, but rather
make a lower level interface to Python.

Just my $0.02.

-Øystein



On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 2:56 PM, Michael Petch <address@hidden> wrote:
> Howdy All,
>
> Last July Richard Stallman made one significant change to the GNU Coding
> Standard so that it no longer prefer C to other such languages.
>
> This was a significant departure from the original coding standard which
> preferred C over other languages, and chided C++ in particular.
>
> The latest coding standard can always be found here:
> http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Source-Language.html#Source-Language
>
> I am curious what people think of having C++ modules as part of the
> mainline source code tree.
>
> In particular I was thinking of using code compatible with C++98. Are
> there environments we are targeting that don't have access to a C++
> compiler? or where G++ isn't available etc?
>
> Would appreciate any thoughts people may have on this.
>
> --
> Michael Petch
> CApp::Sysware Consulting Ltd.
> OpenPGP FingerPrint=D81C 6A0D 987E 7DA5 3219 6715 466A 2ACE 5CAE 3304
>
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