Re: where does it make business sense to use C++ instead of java?
On 27 Nov, 22:41, c...@mailvault.com wrote:
Choice is also limited by language constraints. With Java you have to
finish a class definition in the same file you start
it.
IMO this is a good thing. The fact that C++ does not enforce this is,
IMO, a weakness from which there is no escape, due to its C ancestry.
This is a problem from a code generation perspective.
Why? on my current java project I am using SWIG to generate C code for
some C wrappers and these integrate with java just fine. The generated
C code forms native methods that are called by a java wrapper also
generated by SWIG. My java code calls the generated java class that
goes native. All the source code is in the separate files you would
naturally expect.
It forces computer written code to be mixed with any hand
written code.
It depends on the code generator. I have seen code generators that
encourage this but I don't like it and it does not have to be done
that way. Several years ago I worked on a project that used Rational
Rose to define business objects. I recommended that the model be used
to just define business interfaces and that we maintain the
implementation classes outside of Rose. I lost that argument. The
result was that the project used used a Rose feature called 'preserve-
regions' so that the files contained a mixture of generated code and
hand-crafted code. It was horrible.
C++ is not so rigid in this area. Computer
generated code can be placed in separate files. That
eliminates confusion as far as what is hand written and
what isn't.
Separate files is my recommendation.
It also eliminates the possibility of a bug in
a code generator resulting in damaged/lost hand written code.
Indeed. I really don't see your point here. I think we agree that best
practice is for a file to contain all the implementation for a class,
not split it across a number of files. In java it has to be done that
way, in C++ it does not. But surely it will always be done that way
even if using C++ because best practice will be observed.
Regards,
Andrew Marlow
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