On C++

There has been some discussion lately about the rise of C++ to first class citizen status in .NET country. Unfortunately, C++ still has one major flaw: the preprocessor.

The criminally insane have used the C++ preprocessor over the years to pervert, subvert, and convert otherwise good source code into an atrocious collection of tokens and symbols. I was witness to one of these atrocities in graduate school. One semester I came across a professor who was a Pascal zealot and book author. Although C++ was the official language of the curriculum, Dr. Pascal used the magic of the preprocessor to make everything look Pascal-ish. The code resembled the following sample from The Daily WTF:

It is this sort of leftist brainwashing that keeps conservative parents awake at night after they drop little Johnny off in front of the freshman dorm. Pascal is Pascal, and C++ is C++ - let’s not pretend otherwise with subversive preprocessor definitions.

Sure, C++ is feature rich, but it also carries more baggage than a Four Seasons hotel porter. Jump on the C# fashion wagon – there is still room in the hold to pick up more luggage.