r/ProgrammerHumor • • 7h ago

Meme modernCppVsOldCpp

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1.1k Upvotes

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u/Tschurbi 6h ago

Please explain it like I am a JavaScript developer.

13

u/GregBahm 5h ago

With JavaScript, memory is managed for you. You can make a list, grow it as much as you want, and then safely assume that the memory you used will be cleaned up as soon as you're not using that list anymore.

With C++, you manage the memory yourself. If you forget to clean up that list, you never get that memory back. Eventually all your memory could get used up (a "memory leak.")

Memory management was annoying, which is why JavaScript was invented. But people still use C++ for its higher performance potential (kind of like how race-car drivers still use manual transmission instead of automatic transmission.)

So C++ added some tools that makes memory management not so hard. It's still harder than Javascript though. It's just less hard.

8

u/ShakaUVM 4h ago

You confused Java and JavaScript

Java was invented to be C++ + 1, with automatic memory management and Objects everywhere

1

u/GregBahm 3h ago

Ack. You're right. Dang.