Blogging Ottinger (tim)Why does Tim hate Visual C++?
Today I started with Visual C++ again. I asked it for a “hello world” app, and got a C app with a proprietary pre-compiled header hack added in. You know, I wanted a C++ “hello world”, not a C “hello world” polluted with whatever MS thinks is a good idea.
I changed it to the standard form, using cout rather than fprintf, and
So now I remember why I dislike MS VC++ (at least up to and including 6.0), even while having a grudging admiration for C++. They add complexity, but without adding real power. Less of the language works, and more extensions get in the way. I guess MS had the “a better C” in mind, rather than a real C++ mindset.
Personally, I much prefer to look at C++ as a language unto itself, and the base for other languages like Java and C# (which are constantly trying to “crawl back home” by adding back C++ features). As a language unto itself, it’s okay. As a “better C”, I think it has problems.
Tim
