Re: Automated conversion to C++?

[Maciej Sobczak <see.my.homepage@gmail.com>]

On 16 Lut, 17:42, Jacob Sparre Andersen <spa...@nbi.dk> wrote:

> I don't care about how messy the C++ code is going to be.
[...]
> The project lead is of the opinion that
> publishing the system with C++ code will make more scientists
> interested in the system.

Is the project lead aware of the fact that if anybody is interested in
the source code it is because they want to read/modify/maintain/etc.
it and not just compile it? Is he aware of the fact that the result of
automated translation will certainly prevent anybody from achieving
these goals? You cannot say "I don't care how messy the C++ code is
going to be", because this way you just undermine the purpose of your
work.

If the goal is to attract people interested in the C++ source code,
then the project should be written in C++. Not translated to C++, but
*written* in C++.

An alternative is to write it in Ada (or whatever language you find
convenient) and this way make your users get attracted to the
language, not the other way round. This, however, might require a
technical project lead instead of a salesman.

An optimal solution is to write the project in whatever you want and
expose a couple of interfaces in different languages. This gives
opportunities for both personal satisfaction and marketing hype.

--
Maciej Sobczak * www.msobczak.com * www.inspirel.com