Re: GDB in C++

[Robert Dewar <dewar@adacore.com>]

To me, in this discussion, what is missing is a recognition
that this discussion has been carried out before. In order
to make a change here, it is not sufficient just to recycle
the old familiar arguments. What is needed is to make a case
that for some reason, the situation has changed, and so the
decision made previously to avoid switching to C++ should be
revisited. If all the proponents can do is to reargue the
general case, repeating what has been said before, I don't
see any basis for changing the previous decision.

My own view is that there may be some gain if the resulting
style was well policed, but there is a major negative in
making the transition, really three negatives:

1. A lot of effort is expended in the transition

2. The transition is bound to cause some instabilities

3. There may be people who just are not comfortable with
the language change, and will not contribute as effectively
or at all. Of course there may be others who are more
inclined to contribute, but this factor needs analysis.

What is needed is an argument that the advantages outweigh
the disadvantages. Arguments based solely on the value of
the resulting style improvements are inadequate for me
unless framed in these terms.