> People mostly write with C++ when performance is critical.
Performance is a big reason people use C++, but there are many others. For example, people also write C++ when correctness is critical (bank software, safety-critical systems, etc.).
Performance is a big reason people use C++, but there are many others. For example, people also write C++ when correctness is critical (bank software, safety-critical systems, etc.).
The vagaries of the standard aren't issues since safety critical software is validated on a per-platform and per-compiler basis. Memory safety is certainly a concern during the development process but more importantly (!) GC languages (like javascript and Scala) do not have provably (for some value of provably) deterministic execution times. Determinism is also a problem for lazy languages (like Haskell).
I say that to say the zero-cost abstractions of C++ is a huge benefit when writing safety-critical software. The level of control over emitted binaries is essential and fairly rare in programming languages.
> If they are really doing this, they have no idea what they are doing.
Well, I can't speak for entire industries, but that's a pretty sweeping generalization. You might be surprised what the challenges are when writing safety-critical systems software. That being said, I'm sure large portions of the industry are ripe for innovation.
This is not unique to GC languages, but any languages with dynamic memory management. C++ new/free and STL abstractions built on top are not provably deterministic either. And if you program without ever touching dynamic memory (statically allocating and pooling everything) then GC is not a concern.
> I say that to say the zero-cost abstractions of C++ is a huge benefit when writing safety-critical software.
You're talking about performance now, not correctness. All those benefits get lost once translated to JS.