Re: True faiths ( was Re: The true faith )

[Simon Willcocks <simonwillcocks@enterprise.net>]

In message <3C483CE7.D61D1BF@removeme.gst.com>
          Bob Bane <bane@removeme.gst.com> wrote:

> I was particularly impressed with his last paragraph in the second
> article.  For some reason, he doesn't conclude that there's something
> wrong with C++.  Can't imagine why...
> 
> ---------BEGIN-QUOTE-----------
> 
> I don't know about you, but there's something really scary to me about a
> language where copying state from one object to another is this
> complicated.  By now, I suspect at least a dozen or two programmers have
> contributed something new to this discussion. If it takes this many
> programmers to write a simple assignment operator, think how complicated
> writing code that actually does something meaningful must be!

Despite this he's still (presumably) hiring C++ programmers!

In message <u45hkv97o24a6b@corp.supernews.com> Kevin McFarlane wrote:

> Yes. This is true. BTW, have you read this? It supports your case.
> 
> "Debunking the Myth of a Desperate Software Labor Shortage"
> http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/itaa.real.html

One of the claims in this document is 

> [firms could] hire a generic programmer and let him/her learn the specific
> skills on the job, which any competent programmer can do within weeks.
> Refusing to hire a C-language programmer to write Java code is like a Ford
> dealer refusing to hire mechanics who have only Chevy experience, [...]

Ordinarily, I would agree, but looking at the assignment operator example I
have had second thoughts.  I read the code and saw quickly why each line was
there and why it was necessary, but I'm sure I wouldn't have come up with
all of it myself!  There is a simple solution, though; the coding standards
in the last project I worked on required that each class should have an
assignment operator and a copy constructor defined, but made private and
with no implementation.

I think I'll try to stick to languages with garbage collection.

Regards,
Simon Willcocks