Re: [Alephmodular-devel] Enum versus class?

[Br'fin <br...@ma...>]

Heh, I can't say as I blame you. Though, for better or for worse,=20
AlephModular is being used as a learning experience for me. STL was=20
something that was out there but not exactly trustable to be fully=20
implemented on the compilers I was using back then. since then I've=20
been out of the loop with a little C and mostly Perl. :)

Just about the only thing tempering this is my urge to do things right=20=

with a recognition that not all of what I'm going to play with is going=20=

to be right from the starting line. This is also why I'm trying to be=20
really transparent with what I'm developing. We are catching mistakes=20
before I actually commit them :)

I may not be happy with the speed that AlephModular is being developed,=20=

or the seeming void that I'm tossing points of discussion out into. But=20=

I do generally like the things that I have been committing in. This=20
particular case, I agree, was overblown, but I really like how the file=20=

abstraction shaped up.

Exceptions I'm still mulling over in my head. I'm used to Java's=20
exception mechanism, and still need to learn C++'s approach. The first=20=

thing you're apt to see on that front is a try/catch block in main and=20=

a growing use of exceptions first thrown from fatal csaslert dialogs=20
and asserts and in place of halt().

-Jeremy Parsons

On Sunday, March 2, 2003, at 01:51  AM, Dietrich Epp wrote:
> <rant>
>
> Hate to break it to you, but that is most abuse I have ever seen the=20=

> C++ language take.  In Ada we would write:
>
> type Bit_Depth is (Depth_8, Depth_16, Depth_32);
>
> or something along those lines.  In C, it would be:
>
> typedef enum _bit_depth { depth_8, depth_16, depth_32 } bit_depth;
>
> If C++ is such a superior language, why does it take so damn much=20
> code?  The above two examples provide the same functionality (although=20=

> only the Ada version has the bounds checking).  THE SAME=20
> FUNCTIONALITY.  I could use less code programming it in assembly.  Why=20=

> the hell do you need bounds checking anyway?  private vs. public?  A=20=

> class?  Damn, I would have just used existing functionality.  It is no=20=

> wonder that the Marathon engine doesn't see any significant changes=20
> when people waste so much effort on things that really only need one=20=

> line of code.
>
> I'm not really bashing C++, it's just that it has it's strong points=20=

> and its weak points like most languages (Intercal a notable=20
> exception).  C++ has exceptions - these are good!  Use them!  That way=20=

> you don't have to manually check for errors -- essentially, instead of=20=

> doing an operation and asking "Was there an error?", if there is an=20
> error it takes care of itself.  Classes and namespaces: another good=20=

> thing.  Instead of calling BKSparseArray_GetValues (...)  we can just=20=

> do something like myArray.GetValues (...), or even myArray[...]. =20
> Making classes for everything you can think of?  Well, do that in Ada=20=

> because Ada was designed to do that, and you can imitate it with C=20
> using enum and struct, but class is a beast of a different nature and=20=

> it should be treated that way.  C++ has a dichotomy of classes and=20
> not-classes, you have to deal with this or use a different language=20
> like Smalltalk or Python.
>
> I bring this up because I hate to see projects make the mistakes that=20=

> are so damn ubiquitous these days... some things should be learnt=20
> though experience, but large projects are not places for such learning=20=

> of design methods.
>
> -----
>
> "The main problem for the C++ community today is to use Standard C++=20=

> in the way it was intended rather than as a glorified C or a poor=20
> man's Smalltalk."
> =97 Bjarne Stroustrup (inventor of C++),         "Getting =46rom The =
Past=20
> To The Future" ,
>  p. 23 C++ Report, SIGS Nov/Dec 1999 Vol1 No.10
>
> C++: The power of assembly language with the ease of use of assembly=20=

> language.
>
> "I invented the term Object-Oriented, and I can tell you I did not=20
> have C++ in mind."
> =97 Alan Kay
>
> "C++ : an octopus made by nailing extra legs onto a dog"
>
> </rant>
>
>
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