Is modern C++ becoming more prevalent? [closed]

Answer 1

I have looked at C++ Jobs on indeed and "modern" libraries are more and more used in job descriptions, MFC which is quite an "old-style" c++ library is less used.

Answer 2

I am one of these guys who learned how to work with the STL and heard a lot about RAII and good C++ programming practices from day 1. Looks like some of the most recommended books for learning C++ today (like Accelerated C++ and the Effective C++ series) focus on using STL tools instead of rolling up your own stuff, and also give lots of "rules" for effective (or "modern") programming.

But talking with friends I also noted some companies still work with "C with Classes", not "Modern C++". Maybe the culture proposed by the authors and users of the "Modern C++" will prevail someday :)

Answer 3

I think the biggest barrier I've encountered is toolchain support, especially on cross-platform projects. Until a few years ago, it was common to see build notes saying "x platform needs STLport to work because their compiler is borked". Even now, I see issues with people trying to use multiple third-party dependencies tied to different versions of BOOST. This makes linking impossible, meaning you have to go back and rebuild your deps from scratch.

Now that just about everyone has stopped using MSVC++ 6, the STLport mess is behind us. But as soon as TR1 is out the door, we're back to "which versions of which environments support it and get it right" and once again this will slow adoption.

I work on a project begun in C (not C++) in 1992. Deploying modern practices across the legacy codebase would be impossible. Likewise I work on another project that is much closer to the cutting edge of C++ language.

Answer 4

Before answering such a question, you'd have to agree on what "Modern" is. This not likely to happen, since "Modern" is a poorly defined word, and means different things to different people. The title of Alexandrescu's book (Modern C++ Design) doesn't really help either, since it is largely a book on Template Metaprogramming, which is a specific area of C++ but by no means the only one.

For me, "Modern C++" != "Template Metaprogramming". I would say C++'s features on top of C would fall into these categories:

• Classes (Constructors, Destructors, RAII, Dynamic Casting and RTTI)
• Exceptions
• References
• Data Structures and Algorithms in the standard library (STL)
• iostreams
• Simple class and function templates
• Template metaprogramming

None of these are particularly modern, since they've all been around nearly 10 years or more. Most of these features are useful and will allow you to be more productive than straight C for many use cases. A good programmer should and will use all of them in a decent sized project, but one of these things is not like the other:

Template Metaprogramming.

The short answer to template metaprogramming is just say no. Unfortunately to some people it's synonymous to "Modern C++ programming", due to the book, but in the end it creates more problems than it solves. Unless C++ develops better generic programming mechanisms like reflection, it will be ill suited for generic programming, and higher level languages like Python will be a better fit for those use cases. For that and many other reasons, see the C++ FQA

Answer 5

In my experience it vastly depends on the age of the software product/project. Most new projects that I am aware of do use modern C++ (RAII, STL, Boost). However, there are many C++ projects that are more than 10 years old, and you don't see modern C++ there.

Also, keep in mind that some of the most popular STL implementations were pretty much broken until maybe 5 years ago (MSVC < 7.0 and GNU < 3.00)

Answer 6

In the days of Windows 3.1, C was the standard. When C++ hit the developer market and later became ANSI standard, it was the new hotness. It popularized the OOP acronym and some of the basic design patterns using polymorphism.

Now, with the greater acceptance of low-barrier-to-entry managed platforms, like C#/.NET, there's less of a reason to use C++. So much of the developer base will have a choice and let's be honest: C++ is a bear to learn for a novice. With C#, you can just run with it.

That leaves really only the platforms that NEED C++ and the die-hard C++ evangelists to continue practicing the art. This is the community that needs and wants all the layers of abstraction that is considered "Modern C++".

So yes, I believe "Modern C++", as you state it, is becoming more prevalent. Albeit, it's prevalent with a different audience than has used it in the past.