LinuxWorld: An interview with Bjarne Stroustrup [Creator of C++]

“Bjarne Stroustrup is the creator of C++, one of the most widely
used languages that allows object-oriented programming. He also
authored The C++ Programming Language and The Design and Evolution
of C++. Stroustrup is currently the head of AT&T Labs’s
large-scale programming research department in New Jersey. His
research interests include distributed systems, operating systems,
simulation, design, and programming.”

“Object-oriented languages have been around since the late
1960s. Yet, the object-oriented revolution took place more than two
decades later. How do you explain this delay and which conclusions
can we draw from it?”

“Bjarne Stroustrup: Part of the reason is that changes in
people’s behavior always take far more time than we are willing to
believe. Another major reason is that some people had (and have)
unreasonable expectations about “revolutions.” The idea that there
is one right way to solve essentially every problem for essentially
every user is fundamentally wrong. I’m a great fan of the idea of
object-oriented programming and the design ideals and techniques
that it supports — originating with Simula 67. However, those are
not the only effective techniques. Much programming is best done
with techniques that do not fall within a narrow definition of
“object-oriented.” And if you broaden the definition of
“object-oriented” sufficiently for it not to be an obstacle to good
programming and design, you get something that is basically
meaningless. See my paper, “Why C++ isn’t just an Object-Oriented
Programming Language.”

Complete Story