Why is C++ so big?

[nevets04]

Why are there so many people doing c++. I've heard even from c++ coders, that python is better. Is this maybe because c++ has been around longer? What do you think the future of python is? Do you think It will eventually beat out c++?

[restrictment]

There are many people doing c++, because c++ is basically a starting ground for coders (at least it was for me). I do not believe that python will 'beat out' C++, even if python is indeed better. Take the HTML v. PHP example. PHP is a much better coding language, however schools are still teaching HTML. Why? Because schools like to start off with the basics, and work their way up.

Do I know for sure that c++ won't be completely beat out by python? No..I have no clue at all, as I cannot control the future. :) This is just my educated guess.

[restrictment]

There are many people doing c++, because c++ is basically a starting ground for coders (at least it was for me). I do not believe that python will 'beat out' C++, even if python is indeed better. Take the HTML v. PHP example. PHP is a much better coding language, however schools are still teaching HTML. Why? Because schools like to start off with the basics, and work their way up.

Do I know for sure that c++ won't be completely beat out by python? No..I have no clue at all, as I cannot control the future. :) This is just my educated guess.

Edit: Darn, apparently I made two posts..my pc is kind of laggy atm, and I must have accidentally clicked twice. Could an admin/moderator delete this post please?

[jbennet]

Take the HTML v. PHP example. PHP is a much better coding language, however schools are still teaching HTML. Why? Because schools like to start off with the basics, and work their way up.

You clearly dont know what you are talking about. PHP is a serverside scripting language. HTML is markup language which is renderd on the clients browser. Every time you echo something from a PHP script, that output is in the form of HTML, enabling it to be displayed on the screenn. HTML handles the layout and actual visual aspect of things, while all PHP does is perform functions behind the scene. Its in this way that they work together to form dynamic pages. One will never obsolete the other, they work together to perform different tasks.

As for why c++ is bigger than python:

1) more portable.
2) huge existing codebase (the reason there are still jobs for FORTRAN programmers). After all, if your program aint broke, why fix it (and at a cost!).
3) large existing pool of coders trained in it

Anyway, you seem to be ignoring the fact that the python virtual machine, and most of its standard libary are thereselves written in C.

[Clinton Portis]

[quote]Why is C++ so big?[/code]

That's what she said.

[abhaymv]

I think C++ will never lose its popularity.Its concepts are simple and are used in Java,VC++,c#,Vstudio and even a little in VB.If you know C++,You'll be familiar with most others.Its also more user friendly.
btw,I dont know much about python...

In fact, I don't know ANYTHING about python

[evstevemd]

I think C++ wont be replaced by Python. Why? Because even the Author of Python didn't intend it as replacement but rather a complement. So Python Complements C/C++ instead of rivaling it. Ou can event emebed the Python interpreter and make use of both C/C++ and Python.

As to why C++ is big I can say that:
1. Huge learning resources (Though this is becoming true for Python too)
2. It is faster than Python (For time sensitive App.)
3. Have more toolkits both free & commercial (Many Pythonic great tools are wrappers around C/C++ toolkits)

Some Python strength are:
1. Elegance and easiness
2. Many free Books (Though other resources are scarce)
3. Mature toolkits (Like GUIs Plotting, Gamming etc)
4. Powerful few data types (Lists, dictionaries, tuples et al)

So the two are Brothers instead of enemies/rivals
Just my 2 cents :)

[jbennet]

Mature toolkits (Like GUIs Plotting, Gamming etc)

And C doesnt? (from third parties)

[restrictment]

You clearly dont know what you are talking about. PHP is a serverside scripting language. HTML is markup language which is renderd on the clients browser. Every time you echo something from a PHP script, that output is in the form of HTML, enabling it to be displayed on the screenn. HTML handles the layout and actual visual aspect of things, while all PHP does is perform functions behind the scene. Its in this way that they work together to form dynamic pages. One will never obsolete the other, they work together to perform different tasks.

Did you really need that remark, just to make me feel like crap for making a simple mistake that most likely 75% of the population wouldn't know? ..Here I was thinking moderators are supposed tohelp people, not give them put downs.

Anyway, PHP and HTML do work together in some cases, please understand that it is not all the time. PHP is a more complex coding language than HTML, which gives it more capabilities, hence the point I was getting at, trying to express C++ and PHP differences. Although PHP may use HTML to display the webpage, they are virtually different coding languages.

Hopefully you understand now. :)

[jbennet]

PHP is a more complex coding language than HTML

Thats precicely my point just there. HTML is *not* a programming language, its a markup language. In the same way that XML is != say, python. It has no meaning without context.