[off-topic] Sony releases PS Vita SDK

[H. S. Teoh]

On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 03:37:38PM -0400, Nick Sabalausky wrote:
> "Paulo Pinto" <pjmlp at progtools.org> wrote in message 
> news:jmpl39$1oa1$1 at digitalmars.com...
[...]
> > The gamming industry seems to be slowing moving to C#. Would we
> > still be able to convince developers to move to D instead?
> >
> 
> Yes. I suspect that the movement to C# is somewhat of a compromise due
> to the fact that C/C++ has been the *only* real systems language
> usable for most gaming systems. Obviously, something better than C++
> is needed, and thanks to the moronic VM/interpreted obsessions from
> the last decade or so that rendered most new languages impotent, there
> was no real alternative to C++. So, I suspect, that's why they made
> the compromise of going with C#.

Yeah, I've been working with C++ for almost 2 decades, and I really
can't say I'd recommend it for new projects. At my day job, for example,
we actually migrated from C++ back to plain old C, due to an incredibly
over-engineered C++ codebase that was slow, bloated, and unmaintainable.
It sounds laughable to the casual observer, but I have to say that there
was actually a lot gained by this migration. We are much more productive
with the new C-based system than C++. There are just too many ways to
write bad code in C++. C makes everything simple and clear, if a bit
tedious at times (due to basically partially reimplementing a class
system in C).

Simply put, C++ was a good idea, but it simply could not live up to its
promises in real-life projects.

In my own personal projects, I've discovered that C++ is best used as a
"C with classes" language, not a true OO language. Its OO features are
just so broken that anything beyond the simplest textbook examples are
rife with all sorts of unnecessary complications, hacks, and workarounds
that dramatically reduces programmer productivity. I used to say that if
you wanted real OO, you should be looking at Java or Eiffel (or
something along those lines), not C++.


> But D is *real* systems language, unlike C#. And frankly, it beats the
> snot out of C#. I'm not just saying that subjectively as D fan: Five
> years ago (if not less) I considered C# and D tied as my favorite
> languages. But the more I used both, the more I got fed up with C#'s
> dumb limitations and MS's disinterest in addressing them, and the more
> I liked D.

I've never programmed in C#, so I can't really objectively compare C#
and D. I *will* say, though, that in many ways D feels like "C++ done
right", or "what C++ should have been". In that sense, I think the
factors that drove game devs to abandon C++ should be what drives them
to adopt D.


> If D can't be made to attract game devs away from C++/C#, then I'll
> loose what little faith I have left in mainstream games development.
[...]

Well, the Manu's of the world are still clamoring for some missing
features in D that will finally convince them to adopt D.  :-)

But IMAO, indie gaming is where it's at these days. True creativity has
left commercial games since id's DOOM days.


T

-- 
I don't trust computers, I've spent too long programming to think that they can get anything right. -- James Miller