Re: Will therefore GDB utilize C++? Not.

Michael Eager
2012-04-07T16:54:45Z

On 04/06/2012 04:32 PM, John Gilmore wrote:
>> And yet, that's exactly what we are doing:
>> - unit elaboration;
>> - gdbarch/language dispatching
>> - exception handling
>> - use of unions to emulate polymorphism;
>
> Writing modular programs is a good idea even if we don't do it in C++.
> I have heard it claimed that many techniques of modular programming
> were even invented before C++ existed - though that may be doubted.

If a discussion about the design of C++ adds little to the discussion
about converting gdb to C++, I think that discussing the origins of
modular or object-oriented programming offers even less.

> If people have the energy to rewrite large chunks of GDB, why argue
> about it? Go off and do it. It's free software -- you don't even
> have to start from scratch like GNU did. The world can always use a
> new debugger. You can make a politically correct debugger (pcdb?)
> with an identical interface but a C++ implementation under the hood.
> If it's better than GDB in the long run, maintainers will migrate to
> it, GDB will fall into disrepair, and GNU will adopt it.

That is actually not that bad an idea. This isn't a matter of
political correctness, but one of technical merit.

--
Michael Eager eager@eagercon.com
1960 Park Blvd., Palo Alto, CA 94306 650-325-8077