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SubjectRe: C++ in kernel (was Re: exception in a device driver)
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>>>>> "Chip" == Chip Salzenberg <chip@perlsupport.com> writes:

Chip> According to kwrohrer@ce.mediaone.net:
>> It's the average programmers who will be writing the device
>> drivers.

Chip> I disagree. How many Linux device drivers will there ever be?
Chip> Maybe a thousand or two? Compare that number to the programmer
Chip> population, and you'll see that it's not necessary to drop below
Chip> the top one or two percentiles to find those who'll write the
Chip> very best drivers.

At least for the m68k port we do have some problems finding developers
for writing device drivers and other stuff - we have some good people
but we could certainly use more. I am sure this applies for some of
the other architectures including the x86.

Writing device drivers is hard enough as it is to get it right, though
most people think it is harder than it really is and refuses to
touch it because of this.

Introducing a new language which allows you to blow away your whole
leg a lot easier and then putting `virtual' restrictions on what parts
of the language people are allowed to use, as some people suggested
with C++, will NOT make this easier. We need to use a language that a)
makes it easy to write efficient code by letting the average
programmer figure out easily what assembly will be generated (C++ does
not do this) and b) does not allow people to shoot themselves in the
foot and bloat the kernel by misusing some of the things in C++ which
are utterly useless.

You are right that people can write nice code in C++, IMHO this
basically means that you forget most about the crap introduced in C++
and write something closed to C. The problem with C++ is that people
can start using all sorts of stupid things which _will_ hurt the
kernel and we certainly do not need this!

Jes

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