Are Language Comparisons Meaningful?
- by Prasoon Saurav
Dr Bjarne Stroustrup in his book D&E says
Several reviewers asked me to compare C++ to other languages. This I have decided against doing. Thereby, I have reaffirmed a long-standing and strongly held view: "Language comparisons are rarely meaningful and even less often fair" . A good comparison of major programming languages requires more effort than most people are willing to spend, experience in a wide range of application areas, a rigid maintenance of a detached and impartial point of view, and a sense of fairness. I do not have the time, and as the designer of C++, my impartiality would never be fully credible.
-- The Design and Evolution of C++(Bjarne Stroustrup)
Do you people agree with his this statement "Language comparisons are rarely meaningful and even less often fair"?
Personally I think that comparing a language X with Y makes sense because it gives many more reasons to love/despise X/Y :-P
What do you people think?