Criticizing the Rust Language, and Why C/C++ Will Never Die

I left a comment on Reddit that I'll adapt here. It's really intended at the Rust community specifically, but I think the message is still worthwhile anyway: Not everyone is going to like Rust. That's totally okay. I've seen language communities, especially newer ones where people are particularly passionate, essentially turn into... this is a bit strong, but mini-cults. Where if you don't like the language, you're obviously an illliterate pleb who needs to learn how to code. This ends…

Per HN guidelines, this article should have its publication year of 2015 in the title (the article itself seems to not include a date, but one can find the various submissions on Reddit where this was originally discussed). In fact, it's old enough that it even predates the Rust 1.0 release. I haven't gone ahead and read it in full again this time, since the irony of a company selling C++ static analysis software denouncing the utility of Rust is…

It's interesting that his own points argue against his own conclusion. For instance, "I can't but remind you for one more time that the source of troubles is usually in humans, not technology", doesn't jive with the conclusion that C/C++ are here to stay, nor does it agree with his point that he was annoyed with the restrictions Rust placed on him. If humans are the problem, then a language that restricts these problematic human urges in a way that…

Myopic rant. "If your C++ code is not good enough or Java code is painfully slow, it's not because the technology is bad - it's because you haven't learned how to use it right." More 'program better and you don't need Rust.' This was said of C++ by C programmers and it regresses until we're programming punch cards in octal. At one point the argument is (indirectly) made that Rust is on the "innovative yet too idealistic" side of the…