Re: Another good URL for all you C++ haters

[James Rogers <jimmaureenrogers@worldnet.att.net>]

Florian Weimer wrote:
> 
> chris.m.moore@amsjv.com (Chris M. Moore) writes:
> 
> >   Even Floyd, who loves the language, admits that, "Its greatest
> >   weaknesses is a flaw in the interface/implementation separation. A
> >   class exposes its private data/methods to the world and a programmer
> >   must use some tricks (that should be supported directly in the
> >   language) to overcome this."
> 
> Doesn't have Ada a similar problem?

Similar but not quite as severe.

Ada private data and subprograms are what C++ calls "protected" 
data/methods. Ada's eqivalent to C++ private data/methods is data and 
methods defined in a package body but not in the specification.
C++ public, private, and protected data and functions are normally
declared in a header file. Functions are then defined in the
.CPP (source) file. 

There is no automatic enforcement of separation of implementation and
interface in C++. The entire implementation can be placed in the C++
header file. As with so many other C++ features, only good practice
can produce good separation of interface and implementation.

Compare both C++ and Ada to Java. Most Java classes are defined
without benefit of an interface. In fact, Java interfaces are
most typically used to define a call-back interface rather than to
define common classes. Java does not even provide you the choice 
of using a header file. Java fans proclaim a lack of separation of
interface and implementation to be an advantage because you have
less code duplication.

Jim Rogers
Colorado Springs, Colorado USA