We know our reasons for loving C++ (it’s the parent of all the platforms, games, and systems we use daily), but we couldn’t have anticipated the surge of love letters we got from developers worldwide when we asked them:
What are the reasons you love C++?
Of course, offering this cool, I Heart C++ T-shirt (see image) also worked its charm.
BTW, you can also put your hands on this cool swag—more details below.
But first, let’s review some of the reasons developers are smitten with C++:
1. “Same as I love my parents…”
WOW, talk about devotion. This developer’s reason sure caught our eyes. It’s not every day that we hear such a dramatic comparison:
“?Same as I love my parents, I love C++ because almost all other modern programming languages and popular libraries are built by C++. So, C++ is the parent of our coding life.”
2. “What can’t you express in your mother-tongue?”
Another emotional comparison that involves parents (well, kind of):
“I am 56 years old, and after learning C when I was 16, I learned C++, and it became my everyday language. After all these years, I don’t know if I think of C++ as my mother tongue. What can’t you express in your mother-tongue?”
3. “No magic happening behind the scenes”
Really? No magic? I’m afraid I have to disagree. I think C++ is all about magic. But sometimes magic can also be a bad thing:
“Easy to write clean code with no magic happening behind the scenes that you have to read books about. Can write code for just about any platform which runs fast. Great community and great conferences.”
4. “Being somewhat of a control freak”
Control. Boy, do you need it if you write in C++. so we could really identify with this developer:
“The amount of control C++ gives in controlling memory to the very bits of it is simply amazing. Being somewhat of a control freak, these features ring a lot with me.”
5. “It allows us, the 40+ years old, to stay cool”
In our previous blog post, we mentioned prestige as a reason for loving C++. Apparently, we’re not the only ones thinking C++ adds a little swag to your development capabilities and general coolness:
“Because it allows us the 40+ years old to stay cool and look very authoritative :-)”
6. “Its community was a sleeping beauty”
We just love the fairytale analogy. We must agree: the C++ community is a good reason to love C++, and it loves you back!
“Couldn’t resist the bate in your post. Here’s mine: its community was a sleeping beauty – and it’s now flourishing!”
7. “Unforgiving in a good way”
Yes, unforgiving can be a trait, a virtue, as the following developer explains:
“As much as it is powerful and has infinite options, it is also unforgiving in a good way.
It forces you not to do things superficially without obtaining a deep understanding of the rationale and mechanism. It makes you better by forcing you to dig deep and think of all the details. Personally, C++ was my gateway into the software engineering and developing world.”
8. “All the bells and whistles needed”
Well, we’re glad someone said it: C++ libraries are awesome!
“C++ is more creative when it comes to building a user interface.
I work with Linux every day, and I’m used to building ports written in C from time to time, but when I have to build a graphical interface, C++ has all the libraries to add all the bells and whistles needed for a nice interface. I ? C++. ”
9. “Lives in the real world”
This developer is really keeping it real:
“I love a real product that lives in the real world.
So, writing C++ for embedded systems is pretty standard.”
10. “The only performance bottleneck is my own imagination!”
No need to start imagining things… Although C++ is fast, there are bottlenecks we can think of, starting with C++ build times.
“C++ is lightning fast… if I design well, that is. The only performance bottleneck is my own imagination!”
11. “Nothing is out of reach”
This reason is so hopeful in the sense that as a C++ developer, the sky’s the limit:
“I can do anything from developing an operating system to programming a drone; nothing is out of reach for C++ because so many low-level interfaces are available as C libraries.”
12. “Can be run even decades after its initial write up”
Yes, there’s quite a bit of history behind C++, which sure gives it a nostalgic flavor:
“Stability of the code, which can be run even decades after its initial write up, is something on a different level for loving it :)”
13. “It’s not a trend”
Although we just love hot and trendy things, there’s something to be said about not being a trend:
“Maybe the main reason I’m into it: it’s not a trend. It’s with us for many years, and it is going to stay with us for years to come.”
Can You Top That?
All you have to do is share your own genuine reason for being madly in love with C++. Send it our way, and we’ll make sure that you feel (and wear) the love with this super-cool t-shirt:
