
Ask HN: Who still develops in C++ - asfaf244
Besides game development and embedded hardware, who still uses C++?
======
davismwfl
C and C++ are in many ways increasing not decreasing. C and C++ both have
significant offerings in many areas, and you can find both in almost all
industries.

I am guessing by the way you worded your question that you are being at least
slightly dismissive of the embedded market. Many people are, but almost
everything you touch has a microprocessor that likely is running some C and/or
C++ code on it now.

Every cable box usually is C/C++, every DVR, home theater receivers,
microwaves, conventional ovens, garage door controllers, hell even that stupid
sink faucet you touch to turn on/off is likely running some C code. It is
everywhere because it is the one language that is the most transportable and
powerful across domains that carries the least amount of baggage with it.

C++ is less likely to be found on the tiny to small chips running things, but
you see it more and more where chips can support it. Not to mention, every
time you use your cell phone you are using dozens of components, most all
written in C/C++ and not all are embedded systems.

~~~
purplerabbit
I thought Forth was easier to transport / had less baggage? Or am I wrong?

~~~
davismwfl
I am not an expert in regards to FORTH so I'd have to let someone with more
experience say. FORTH from what I know has been around since at least the Z80
days. But honestly, I do not know if it carries more or less baggage, nor
whether it is really more portable.

All the embedded work I have done has mostly been C with a little more C++ in
the recent years, outside of some machine level stuff for highly specialized
devices. So just from that, at least in my experience C is the more common,
portable and easily worked with language.

------
maybeok
Every software that's widely used and isn't a crap gimmick is written in
C/C++.

Android/Linux is mostly C. Google Search-C++. Web browsers-C++. Java VM is a
c++ program. Games-C++.

The only place Java/Ruby/Python/etc has a foot hold is in websites providing
crap gimmics that are just wrappers over C/C++ programs. Like uploading a
photo or tweet, just providing some glue over all the C/C++ programs that
actually do the work.

------
flinmaster
Anyone who needs performance. Although, if you really need performance, you're
using C, not C++. Game engines are all written in C/C++. All those languages
like Python and Javascript are all written in C/C++.

~~~
santaclaus
> Although, if you really need performance, you're using C, not C++.

Howso? Yea, don't do dynamic dispatch in your core performance critical loops,
but templates give you a lot of capability to get nice abstractions without
major (runtime) performance hits.

~~~
ghrifter
I'd check out the How to C in 2016 thread:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10864176](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10864176)

------
kiloreux
I am working on robots and C++ is my best choice so far, especially when using
ROS or just embedded things.

------
laveur
Almost anyone who does any cross platform development. C/C++ makes it very
easy to write cross platform libraries that almost all platforms can consume.

------
nautical
There are hundreds of sectors where it is used daily , it is not popular in
web and mobile app development , but I feel thats not the only place where
typical "software development" happens .

ATMs , OS development , cellular networks , lots of industry specific desktop
applications for petroleum industry , Cutting machine softwares (lathes , cnc
etc) are written in cpp .

------
pvitz
Insurance companies develop HPC stochastic financial projection models in C++.
I have seen approaches using R or Python, but they couldn't give the
performance necessary for getting results in reasonable time.

------
gusmd
High-performance engineering simulation code (think Finite Element Method) is
pretty much all written in C/C++ due to performance reasons.

------
stevekemp
I use it for fun, the most recent project I've been working upon is a console-
based mail-client with Lua scripting. (Think "mutt").

The core of the project is C++, along with lots of Lua.

[https://github.com/lumail/lumail2/](https://github.com/lumail/lumail2/)

------
blcArmadillo
I do, working on infotainment systems.

------
ksherlock
I do, when it's the right tool for the job. When in Rome, do as the Romans.
Everywhere else, use C or C++. Why? I'm more comfortable and productive with
it. I'm sure the Esperanto advocates wonder why I still speak English, too.

------
wslh
We use it for Windows system programming libs:
[https://github.com/nektra/deviare2](https://github.com/nektra/deviare2) but
when we need a UI we integrate it with C#.

------
lingua_franca
Most middle-ware systems like database/messaging/file system are written in
C++. Users of such systems most likely develop their applications in C++ as
well, like gaming and financial firms.

------
tmaly
most high speed trading firms, robotics firms, and machine learning places

------
runjake
Anyone writing OSes -- even most Unix-like OS flavors have plenty of C++.

------
santaclaus
Graphics intensive work outside of games. Adobe's software. Autodesk's
software. Most film VFX and animation shops are heavy on C++.

------
packetslave
Google

------
gadders
Quants in Investment Banks.

