Linus Torvalds Thinks That C++ Sucks And Here Is Why?

Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux expressed his love towards C programming language. It is a well-known fact that Linux kernel Is essentially written in C with a little of assembly code.

Even when it comes to Linux distros, C is used for many apps and libraries. C is compiled and is run on the processor. Some Linux distros do use C++ libraries to build front end applications.

C v/s C++

C v/s C++

Well do you know what Linus Torvalds thinks about C++ programming language? He simply called C++ a horrible programming language.

Since Linus maintains the Linux kernel which mainly depends on C programming language, he doesn’t need any other languages apart from it.

Suggested Read: Have You Ever Wondered How Linux is Built and Maintained?

In a key note from September 2007, Linus shared his views on C++.

He rant against C++ stating:

When I first looked at git source code two things struck me as odd:

  1. Pure c as opposed to C++ no idea why. Please don’t talk about portability.
  2. Its B*** S****.

Going further in the note Torvalds calls C++ programmers as substandard programmers.

“It’s made more horrible by the fact that a lot of substandard programmers use it, to the point where it’s much much easier to generate total and utter crap with it. Quite frankly, even if the choice of C were to do nothing but keep the C++ programmers out, that in itself would be a huge reason to use C.”

When it comes to speed of execution nothing beats C. so this is what the most needed thing to build a kernel that powers an Operating System, and C++ lacks the speed and I guess this is why Linus stated C++ as horrible.

Also Read: Here is the First Line of Code Written by Linus Torvalds, the Man Behind Linux.

So what do you think about C++ and C programming languages? Do you support Linus? Voice out your opinions through comments below. Share this article and make others part of this discussion. Like our Facebook page for more interesting updates.

Recommended:  BlackArch Linux 2017-03-01, the Latest and Powerful Linux Hacking Distro Is Now Available For Download.

Share it

Was this post helpful?

Ganesh Venigalla

Geek, Passionate, Nerd for Tech!

You may also like...

8 Responses

  1. Justin R Hill says:

    Hope he never learns about JavaScript

  2. Kyle says:

    no you idiot, C++ can be faster than C, he’s referring to how messy, leaky, and random the rules of C++ are. Do some research before you write anything else.

  3. Cory Hilliard says:

    Everything Linus says is basically gold. He’s the Louis CK of the programming world. When everyone stops being offended and actually listens to what he has to say, then you’ll understand what his point is. C++ is a HUGE language with a lot of blurry lines when it comes to the rules of the language. As such new programmers will write horribly unstable and leaky code using C++. C is a lot more strict and it is easier to keep track of leaks and such. C was the first language that I fell in love with because the code finally made sense to me. It was beautifully strict and simple. My prof in college told me you could actually learn C in a day, but it took him a week to explain it all 🙂

  4. Tatsuo says:

    I took a programming class once. I got a C.
    That’s a little programming joke I like to use here and there. You can borrow it.

  5. IceDragon says:

    You know, there’s a difference between “calling C++ programmers as substandard programmers” and saying that “a lot of substandard programmers use it”. Just because a lot of kids drink and drive doesn’t make all kids drunk drivers…

    “When it comes to speed of execution nothing beats C.”, except when you know how to write better Assembly than your C compiler… then this is incorrect as well…

    I don’t even know what the point of this article is, other than [mis]interpretations of one or two specific things the guy behind Linux wrote somewhere… :

  6. Mario Möller says:

    It’s gonna be bad when the Linux kernel isn’t in his hands anymore… People are going to start slipping in all the awful code… Sorry but, the reason he’s still in charge is because nobody appeals to efficiency in code as he does.

  7. I took a programming course and got a c+. He must be right on the money because I still suck, just like c++. For real, I wish I had pursued software development when I was a young man. I loved computers but I unsure of just what it was I liked so much.

    Now, many years later I discovered LInux and it awoke a passion I was unaware of. I am attempting to learn (Python). I do have some Web Development skills but software development is what I really want to learn.

    If I could learn enough to contribute to projects or fork a project into something new, I think I would be content. There are some really great projects that saw development stall. Software seems rewarding.

    I have been flirting with trying to create a GUI frontend for a command line app that has none. My skills are not even to that level yet but I have managed to mockup my ideas.

    Is GUI creation even possible for someone with limited coding ability?

Leave a Reply to Tatsuo Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Linus Torvalds Thinks That C++ Sucks And Here Is Why?

by Ganesh Venigalla time to read: 1 min
8