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New paper: N3628, C and C++ Compatibility -- Bjarne Stroustrup

By Blog Staff | Apr 9, 2013 11:49 AM | Tags: None

A new WG21 paper is available. A copy is linked below, and the paper will also appear in the next normal WG21 mailing. If you are not a committee member, please use the comments section below or the std-proposals forum for public discussion.

Document number: N3628

Date: 2013-04-08

C and C++ Compatibility

by Bjarne Stroustrup

Excerpt:

It seems that a serious discussion about C/C++ compatibility is starting. “By popular demand,” here is a paper in three parts that I wrote just over 10 years ago. Much have changed since that, so please don’t expect the paper to be completely up-to-date or to completely reflect my current views. However, I don’t have the time to write a 2013 version of these 2002 papers, and I don’t change my fundamental opinions all that often. I think that C/C++ compatibility is very important and valuable for both the C and C++ communities.

  • C and C++: Siblings. The C/C++ Users Journal. July 2002.
  • C and C++: A Case for Compatibility. The C/C++ Users Journal. August 2002.
  • C and C++: Case Studies in Compatibility. The C/C++ Users Journal. September 2002.

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Aditya said on Apr 9, 2013 09:55 PM:

awesome!
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derpyloves said on Apr 10, 2013 11:13 PM:

I believe it would seriously impede the future progression of both languages were they to significantly split.

I offer GCC's move to C++ as one concrete example of the benefits of compatibilty. This article, for instance:
https://lwn.net/Articles/542457/

I started with C, though I consider myself primarily a C++ coder today. I view C++ as superset of C, and it serves me well as such.

Strictly maintaining compatibility with C has been critical to C++'s growth and success until now (as Bjarne predicted/insisted upon). Changing that course now would be a serious mistake IMO.