What is C++ for?

[Spiff59]

COBOL is still on that list. I'm worried for those businesses.

Corporations would have to spend a fortune converting all their apps, and for what gain?

I found COBOL a well-organized language well suited for pushing data and numbers around. Having separate DATA and PROCEDURE divisions keeps things very civilized. Tying COBOL in with CICS and DB2 gave it all the functionality that is/was required. After becoming used to UNIX boxes running C, I remember having the impression that:

It might take a dozen tries to get a clean compile with COBOL, after which the odds are fairly good that the program will perform as expected. With C, new code would often compile on the first try, but you'd want to hold onto your seat the first time you ran it, because the results were unpredictable!

Edit: Or in other words, I found the COBOL compiler to be very "strict", and the C compiler to be very "loose". That's not a critique, just an observation.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Spiff59

[trancexx]

Corporations would have to spend a fortune converting all their apps, and for what gain?

Why? Once compiled (your apps) the language becomes irrelevant.

There is no good reason to develop an app in COBOL nowadays. Also, maintaining and developing are two different processes.

[Spiff59]

Why? Once compiled (your apps) the language becomes irrelevant.

There is no good reason to develop an app in COBOL nowadays. Also, maintaining and developing are two different processes.

That's my point. There's no financial motivation to convert 1000's of COBOL applications that function perfectly well. If it ain't broke...

Edit: ANSI '85 or COBOL II were the last versions I worked with, but I see the 2002 version has added OOPS, .NET and Java support, and (finally) allows bit manipulation.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Spiff59

[trancexx]

Then you missed the point of (serious part of) Richard Robertson's post.

[Spiff59]

Then you missed the point of (serious part of) Richard Robertson's post.

I believe I did, entirely. The linked website used internet search engines to compile it's list of "popular" languages. I'm willing to bet were "popular" defined as "which languages are most in use", that C++ and COBOL would be the top two. It doesn't have the flash and sizzle of web or graphics based languages, and may not be very appealing to high-tech enthusiasts, but were you to use your cell phone today to preorder DOOM III, written in C++, the following would occur: Your call would be routed through switches written in COBOL, your phone record would be updated via COBOL, your credit card transaction would be processed using COBOL, funds transfers and bank accounts would be updated via COBOL. There's also a likelyhood that the shipping and inventory systems involved would have been written in COBOL. So, COBOL may not make anyones "glamour" list, but it's still out there, and likely to be for a long time to come.

[Valik]

How do you preorder a game that's been out for 5 years? o.O

[Spiff59]

How do you preorder a game that's been out for 5 years? o.O

Doh! Ahem, got my games crossed Make that Diablo III, the one where you spend a couple weeks building up a Paladin with a bunch of nice items, and some Barbarian comes up and thumps you dead while in town, where's he's not supposed to be able to, and you have to start again from scratch. Or, you hastily decide to rush in and kill a boss alone, to score the drops, and you die, and due to your greed or impetuousity, again lose weeks worth of effort building a character. That (ultimately depressing) game Edited May 18, 2012 by Spiff59

[Blue_Drache]

Only if you play hardcore. *shrug* There's care-bear mode if you so choose.

[Valik]

Oh my.

Doh! Ahem, got my games crossed Make that Diablo III,

Can't pre-order Diablo III, it's been out since Tuesday.

the one where you spend a couple weeks building up a Paladin with a bunch of nice items,

No Paladin's in Diablo III. Nothing even remotely close that I can tell. Monks fill the "holy warrior" role but I don't think any of the classes play like a Paladin.

and some Barbarian comes up and thumps you dead

No PvP in the game yet. Will be released in a few months.

while in town, where's he's not supposed to be able to,

So you petition Blizzard and report the person as using hacks and/or exploits and hope they restore your character or at least the items?

and you have to start again from scratch.

Only on Hardcore, as already mentioned. Otherwise you would just respawn in 3 seconds or so. Except as far as I know PvP won't be just dueling outside of town, it'll be something you specifically sign up to do. People won't be coming into your game PKing you while you're fighting a bunch of Champions.

Or, you hastily decide to rush in and kill a boss alone, to score the drops, and you die, and due to your greed or impetuousity,

Loot doesn't work that way. If you see it, it's yours, No need to be reckless or try to ninja loot from others.

again lose weeks worth of effort building a character. That (ultimately depressing) game

Again, only on hardcore.

You probably shouldn't have used a game that just came out and then provided a hypothetical situation based on the rules of Diablo II which no longer apply. Pretty much everything you typed ended up being wrong as a result.

[Spiff59]

I think I mainly liked Paladin's for their looks

Anything but hardcore seemed boring, but Zealots also didn't seem to hold up well in PvP, after losing a few lev 50'ish characters I gave up the game 7 years ago, abandoned a few decently stocked mules. I admit, I haven't had the courage to read one sentence regarding Diablo III. It's nice to hear that it is not just a rehash of D2.

[Draygoes]

What is C++ used for? How do you make a game like WoW? Everyone says that is not good to make gui's with C++, but Guis are my favorite! What can it do, seeing that Most Software requires a User Interface for the User?

Is that question even serious?