

Why wasn't the Linux kernel written in C++? - Jun8
http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/gifxn/why_wasnt_the_linux_kernel_written_in_c/

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Jun8
Linus Torvalds' popular comment is dissected here
(<http://warp.povusers.org/OpenLetters/ResponseToTorvalds.html>):

"C++ is a horrible language. It's made more horrible by the fact that a lot of
substandard programmers use it, to the point where it's much much easier to
generate total and utter crap with it. Quite frankly, even if the choice of C
were to do _nothing_ but keep the C++ programmers out, that in itself would be
a huge reason to use C."

You know the clip I'd like to see: Linus vs Stroustrup, discussing the pros
and cons of C++. The hotheaded hacker against the calm language developer.
Who'd win?

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yaks_hairbrush
I'm not such a great programmer, but it seems obvious to me that you'd want to
write a kernel in the most minimal (as in close to the hardware) but portable
language possible.

Further, a language as expansive as C++ on a collaborative volunteer project
probably wouldn't work so well. (Don't folks complain all the time about how
everyone uses a different C++?)

