(ref.doc)rmartin 040495

Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
From: [email protected] (Robert Martin)
Subject: Re: C++: The COBOL of the 90s
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 18:28:37 GMT

				 Why C++
                         
			     Robert C. Martin
			 Object Mentor Associates
			     [email protected]
			       708.918.1004
  
				4 Apr 1995



				 Abstract


          C++ is a language that seems to stimulate a tremendous  
          amount  of  debate  and  religious  furor.   This  paper
          attempts to cut  through this "nonsense" and make a case
          for  why C++  is a  reasonable language  for  developing
          object oriented applications.


Introduction.

Why is there so much controversy about C++?  Probably because it has
enjoyed so much success.  It is easy to believe that if C++ had remained
a backwater language, the voices of its detractors would not be so loud.
However, C++ *has* succeeded in a huge segment of the industry, and the
proponents of other languages are quite vocal in bemoaning this fact.

But what are they really complaining about?   Ian Joyner, one of the most
vocal and prolific C++ detractors, has published and widely distributed
his notorious "C++??  A Critique of C++, Second Edition"  (write to
[email protected] for a copy).  This is a generally well written
(although in my opinion misguided) paper, and I recommend it to anyone
considering C++ as a language.  In this paper Ian says: "...the C
base is C++'s greatest weakness."  And this is a common thread through
many of the arguments against C++.  They say that C++ is a bad language
because C was a bad language.  

I don't think that C needs a defense.  The last several decades have
proven it to be an extremely flexible and productive language, suitable
for building applications of nearly every kind.  However, in the early days
of C, there were many detractors who decried the ugliness of the language
and promoted "pure" languages like Pascal.  The current debate regarding
C++ and other languages such as Eiffel, Obj-C and Smalltalk seems similar.

Why did C succeed?  Because it cut through all the crap.  Instead of
fighting for "purity", the authors of C created a language that could be
*used*.  They never contended that it was perfect or pure, certainly it is
not.  They wanted a simple, moderately low level language that they and
other people could use.  In that goal, they succeeded.

Why has C++ succeeded?  For the same reason.  It cuts through all the
nonsense.  Instead of trying for some lofty goal of "purity", Stroustrup
has created a language that can be *used*.  None of the users or authors
of C++ claim that the language is perfect, or pure.  However the claims of
its usability have been confirmed over and over again.  The language *is
being used* more than any other language in its class.  And that usage is
increasing at a geometric rate.

This paper is not an attempt to answer the complaints made by C++
detractors.  Rather it presents arguments for why C++ is a reasonable
choice for the implementation of object oriented designs in a wide
variety of application environments.  

Who am I that I should write such a paper?  I am a user of C++, and the
manager of a team of users.  I have been using C++ since 1989, and have
been involved with object oriented technology since 1986.  I have
produced, several large and successful systems in C++, and continue to
enjoy such success.  I am an international consultant who works with
engineering teams, training them in object oriented design and C++, and
helping them with their software designs.  I am also the author of:
"Designing Object Oriented C++ Applications using the Booch Method" by
Robert Martin, Prentice Hall, 1995, ISBN 0-13-203837-4


What the Deuce is Purity?

Almost everyone can agree that C++ is not a "pure" OO language.
However, this definition is problematic in that it implies that "purity"
is a valid concept.  Yet, there is no accepted definition of the term
"pure OO language".  Despite years of discussion and argument on the
net, and in other circles, I have never seen anyone present a definition
of a "pure OOPL" that met with general agreement by others.

The fact that C++ is "impure" is often taken to mean that users are free
to leave the golden path to OO and "backslide" into the unrepentant
state of (gasp) procedural design.  However, *every* OOPL must allow
such "backsliding", because object oriented design is a *superset* of
procedural design.  It is *always* possible for a procedural design to
be implemented in an object oriented language.

This assertion is easy to prove.  A procedural design is a set of data
structures and procedures.  In an OOPL, one can create a single object
which contains all the data structures and procedures of the procedural
design.  Thus, the procedural design is implemented within the confines
of a single object.  Don't laugh!  I have talked to engineers who have
done just this.

So what good is purity?  I can't tell you, because I can't define it.  I
can tell you this, however.  Purity, if it exists, does not force users
to write good programs.  And impurity, if it exists, does not force
programmers to write bad programs.  The main (possibley sole) ingredient
required for good programs is good programmers.


The Benefits of C++ as a "Better C".

Ignoring Object Oriented programming for the moment, probably the
biggest benefit that C++ provides is type safety.  C++ is a type safe
language.  What does this mean?  Simply speaking it means this:

      void f(long l) {...} // function declared in one file.

      f(1); // in C, this can cause stack corruption since an integer
            // is passed instead of a long.  However in C++, the
            // compiler knows that 'f' wants a "long" and so promotes
            // the '1' to the correct type.

ANSI C makes type safety optional.  C++ makes it mandatory.  In C++ it
is very difficult (not impossible) to violate the type system. 

Why is this important?  Because type errors in C are often the causes of
strange bugs that take weeks or months to find, and that exhibit
transient and misleading behavior.  They often foul the stack or heap
and cause eventual failure several million instructions after the
precipitating event.  Such bugs are the hallmark of poor quality
software.  C++, in a single stroke, eliminates a huge percentage of
them.

This advantage alone makes C++ a better alternative than C.  C
programmers don't have to learn any of the other features of the
language to take advantage of type safety.


C++ is a Low Level Language with High Level Features.

When all is said and done, C++ is a language for the manipulation of
bits and bytes.  Although "purists" might rant and bemoan this attribute
of C++, *engineers* sigh with relief.  All computer applications are,
eventually, the manipulation of bits and bytes.  We might not wish this
were so, but it is.  And C++ provides the features that allow low level
manipulations to be effient and easy.  If, in the end, I need to store
the bit pattern '10110100' in the byte whose address is FCA9DE, C++ will
allow me to do so, without complaint.

But C++ also provides many high level features, so that the user can
"pretend" that C++ is a high level language.  This makes C++ useful in
those places where a high level language is needed. 

As a user, and the representative of other users, I can attest to the
fact that C++ succeeds in this dual role.   I can implement high level
abstractions in C++ using the high level structures of the language, and
I can implement low level details using the low level structures of the
language.  It all works, and works quite well.


Object Oriented Programming.

Without a doubt, this feature of C++ is the most important.  The reason
is that well structured object oriented designs create applications that
are robust, maintainable and comprised of elements that can be reused in
other applications.   

It must be stressed that the use of C++ does not guarantee that
applications will have these desirable attributes.  In fact, C++ does
not even "nudge" the user in the right direction.  And neither does any
other language!  Bad designs are BAD DESIGNS, period.  No language will
correct them.  No language, regardless of its "purity" will improve a
bad design.  

An Object Oriented design is a difficult thing to create.  Using an OO
programming language does not guarantee that the design will be object
oriented.  In fact, the design should be expressible indepedently of the
language.  It is for this reason that Object Oriented design notations
(e.g. Booch, or OMT) have been developed.  

There is a large contingent of developers who believe that object
oriented design is simply the partitioning of the application into
representative objects.  Such designs can be represented in the design
notations, and can be implemented in OO programming languages.  However,
most often these designs do not follow the principles of object oriented
design.

Object oriented designs should have certain attributes.  Those
attributes include the structuring of source code dependencies such that
source code modules that implement the detailed parts of the
application are isolated from the source code modules that implement the
high level policies, or business rules, of the application.  Moreover,
the detailed modules should depend upon the high level modules, and the
high level modules MUST NOT depend upon any of the detailed modules.  

This management of dependencies is the key design activity needed to
produce robust, maintainable and reusable designs.  And yet very many
designers that are new to OO do not understand this.  No language,
regardless of its OO "purity" will help a designer manage the
dependencies between high level details and low level policies.   

  --  [ I   have  written  a   paper  that   describes ]
  --  [ dependency  management, and  it  is  also well ]
  --  [ covered in my book.  If  you would like a copy ]
  --  [ of  the paper, send  me  some email  and  I'll ]
  --  [ send it to you.    [email protected]             ]

Once an object oriented design has been created, C++ is an excellent
language in which to implement it.  Once implemented, all the advantages
of the design are exhibited by the source code.  The modules created are
robust in that they are isolated from changes made in other modules,
they are maintainable in that the engineers need not fear that changes
in one module will ripple to other modules, and they are reusable in
that the high level modules do not depend upon the low level details,
and so can be reused in a different detailed context.


Run Time Efficiency.

There are two broad classifications of Object Oriented languages:
Statically typed languages like C++ and Eiffel, and dynamically typed
language like Smalltalk or Objective-C.  Both of these language types
employ "run time binding" which is the attribute that makes object
oriented design possible.  However, the mechanisms employed by the two
different language types are very different.

In dynamically typed languages, every run time binding is looked up in a
table of some kind.  Although table lookups can be very fast, they still
involve a loop, and a token matching algorithm.  Hash tables are common,
and some calls can even be resolved at compile time.  Generally,
however, it is impossible to precisely describe the time required for
such an operation.  And generally the operation requires dozens, or even
hundreds of microseconds.  Since a well designed object oriented program
will make the majority of its function calls via this mechanism, the
runtime overhead of a dynamic type system can be significant.

In statically typed languages, run time bindings are performed by
indexing into a table of pointers.  This operation always requires
exactly the same amount of time, and can be theoretically reduced to a
single index into an array followed by a single pointer dereference.  On
most machines of today's calibre, these operations require less than a
microsecond total.

Most implementations of C++ come very close to achieving the theoretical
limit, adding only one or two other pointer dereferences or index
operations.  For each implementation, the time required can be exactly
specified.

Thus, run time efficiency of run time bindings in statically typed
language is always better than that of dynamically typed languages.
What requires one or two microseconds in C++ may require dozens or
hundreds of microseconds in a dynamically typed language.

This makes C++ an excellent choice for applications that have intense
real time requirements.    It also makes C++ a good choice for component
libraries that *might* be used in intense real time applications.


Memory Managment.

C++ is one of the very few OO programming language that does not require
dynamic memory management.  Perfectly sound OO programs can be
implemented without using the "heap" at all.   This is extremely
important to those industries that have regulations against "heap"
usage.  (e.g. Avionics.)  Objects can be created on the stack just like
auto variables, or they can be created statically.  In such cases, there
is no need for memory cleanup, and no risk of heap fragmentation or
exhaustion. 

C++ is the one of the only languages that allows the programmer to have
complete control over the way memory is managed.  If the user wants to
use a heap, he can.  If he wants to implement his own heap, he can.  If
he wants some objects to be created on the heap, and other objects to be
created on a separately managed heap, he can.  If he wants his heap to
be garbage collected, he can implement or buy the appropriate collector.
I know of no other language that provides such flexibility.

C++ is often "bashed" because it does not provide garbage collection.
The argument proferred is often: "GC is intrinsic to OO.  GC is needed
to free the programmer from managing memory.  The lack of GC imposes
extra complexity on the design."  Irrespective of the truth or falsity
of these arguments, there is another argument to be made:  "Programmers should
have complete control over how memory is managed."  I know of no
language that provides more control over this area than C++.  

The point is this.  If you really think that you need garbage
collection, then you can have it.  It won't be neatly integrated into
the language, and there will be a certain amount of difficulty involved,
however you can gain the bulk of the advantages of a garbage collected
environment if you absolutely need them.  However, if you don't need
them, (and very often you don't) you don't have to have them.  In this,
C++ is unique.

But what about memory leaks?  Yes, this is a problem.  Any consciencious
programmer should deal with this issue.  There are several ways.  First,
you can get a garbage collector.  Second, you can use a tool like
Purify, or Bounds Checker.  Third, you can use an environment like
ObjectCenter for tracking heap problems.  Fourth, you can write your own
heap allocator and put your own tracing mechanisms in.  Fifth, you don't
need to use the heap at all.

OK, then what about heap fragmentation?  Yes, this too is a problem.
However it is almost trivial to write an allocator that can't be
fragmented.  Stroustrup describes such an allocator in "The C++
Programming Language" 2d. ed.  And Rogue Wave sells one in the Booch
Component library.  C++ allows you to use such an allocator instead of
the standard (malloc based) allocator.


Third Party Sources and Support.

C++ is by far the most supported object oriented language.  There are
compilers for nearly every major platform out there.  There are even
cross compilers for embedded systems.  Moreover there is a large and
growing supply of third party tools and class libraries.   No other
object oriented language even comes close to the coverage and sourcing
that C++ enjoys.


C++ derives from C.

Although this point is often counted as an argument against C++, I count
it as an advantage of the language.  It means that C++ programs can be
easily integrated with legacy C code, and legacy code in other languages
that are C callable.  C++ programs can call C programs, and C programs
can call C++ programs.

Moreover, C++ inherits all of the attributes that make C such a
successful and useful language.  Although C++ is a bigger and more
complex language than C, it still "feels" like C.  This is a subjective
point, but one that is not insignificant.


Conclusion

Wait a minute!  Is that all?  Aren't there more reasons to use C++ than
that?  Sure.  There are lots of little details that I passed over.  Why?
Because they are details, and because they can be contentious.  I could
tell you how great templates are, or how wonderful operator overloading
is, or how neat pure virtual functions are.  But why?  For every point I
could make, someone else could refute it and say it is ugly or nasty.
And who should you believe?  Your best recourse is to find out about these
features for yourself.  I recommend that you do a lot of reading.  Then
examine the arguments, pro and con, and decide for yourself.  Don't
hesitate to drop me a line asking me what I think about this or that.
([email protected]).

But isn't C++ ugly?  Part of it, yes.  So what?  English is an ugly
language too.  Ask any Frenchman.  Consider the word "garage".  This is
an ugly word.  Listen to it.  Yuck!  But we don't often see the "ugliness"
of the word because we *use* it to represent a concept that is not ugly
at all.  The same is true of C++.  Yes, I can understand why some people
would think that some of the features or syntax of C++ are ugly.  But
the concepts underneath are not.  Once you begin using the language, the
"ugliness" evaporates.

I have not been trying to tell you that C++ is the only OOPL and all
wisdom dies with it.  I have not been trying to tell you that C++ is the
language you should be using.  I have simply been trying to tell you
why I use it, and why I think it is a reasonable implementation language
for object oriented designs.  

If you want to use some other language, do so.  It's no skin off my
apple.  But don't fall prey to the religious arguments of C++
detractors.  C++ is a great language.  It will not corrupt you, nor drag
you down into the hell reserved for mediocre programmers.  Nor will it
turn you into "Super-Programmer" able to leap tall specifications with a
single switch/case statement.  No language has such powers!  Software is
not a religion.

C++ is a language.  It is a good language.  It is a usable language.
And if you are interested in implementing object oriented designs, it
will work for you.