For the first time in about a year, I have started writing some serious C++ code.
I was reminded why it had been so long...
I have been using Java, Python and C primarily, and for the past year Python is by far my preferred language.
I had actually forgotten how painful C++ can be to use, not to mention unproductive. The cryptic cascade of error messages any time you breathe on code that uses templates... The senseless duplication (and ensuing maintenance problem) of class declarations in headers and definitions in source files... The screwing around with Makefiles and paths... The extra verbosity...
The number of problems I've had just writing some simple code, deciphering the errors, fighting with CMake (and its woeful documentation), and all the other problems of paths and so on, and I've achieved very little.
I think I must have been spoiled by Python et al. I am definitely about 20 times more productive with it than in C++. But I have been doing a reasonable amount of C, and for some reason C doesn't seem to be quite as painful.
I think its quite clear that the extra effort of writing wrappers for library code is definitely worth it, for all the benefits you get. Perhaps this needs to be expanded in an article...
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