Rust is one of my favorite programming language, and yet I learned how much I missed java after learning Rust. The fact that everything is dynamically dispatched and non-primitives are referential type allows you to program things without thinking too much. Plus, JIT & Hotspot can optimize these away - perform stack allocations for local objects and short-circuit dynamic dispatch for nonvirtual functions.
That said, my biggest Rust-gripe has been writing recursive / self-referential data structures. Borrow system is just not very convenient for that and you end up restructing the code to be a bit more Rust-friendly.
The quoted comment isn't about particular shortcomings in a language, it's a blanket pejorative, and it doesn't reflect well on the author's credibility.
Well I would say their philosophy first of all relies on strong tools. Intellij with CHelper plugin allows for simpler testing and also has incredibly powerful debugging as I am sure you have seen in their screencasts.
Also I think they sort of show the value of Java's simpler approach with everything being a reference in terms of writing code quickly. The alternative approach that C++ competitors use relies on a very specific style unlike what production code at say Google uses, with pointers used as sparingly as possible. With everything being a reference it is much easier to work with graphs for instance.
To me Rust goes even further into the C++ direction where it becomes more and more difficult to quickly write code that compiles. With Java I have no issue writing 100 lines and having everything compile the first time around, particularly with an editor like Intellij. With C++ even Clion struggles significantly with producing helpful info, simply due to the complexity of C++.
Anyway don’t have enough time to really eloquently think through all aspects of this. Also I was just kidding about CF rating, you are far better than me obviously.
To put context around my provocative comment earlier: I write C++ professionally. C++ is the right choice for my organization, though for purely historical reasons. In the long run, I think we'd all be better off if Rust or similar languages replaced their predecessors. So my comment came from a place of personal frustration, the same that led me to find Rust in the first place.
The old wording was too negative; I'm just excited to show that contest programming, which one might imagine to be hard to translate, is not only practical but indeed arguably nicer in Rust.
It's a worthy cause. At HN we might all be aware that Java and C++ suck, but others might not know. Assuming others know what you do is a common cognitive bias. To us, this might be a slightly childish thing to have as a goal, but it might be a revelation to some readers.
> At Hacker News we might all be aware that Java and C++ suck, but others might now know. Assuming others know what you know is a common cognitive bias.
The irony here is astonishing.
I am a frequent commenter on HN and I rather like C++. I acknowledge its shortcomings without resorting to the tribalism that is marring the reputation of the Rust community.
Please don't assume that all of Hacker News has a homogenous perspective on the utility (or lack thereof) of extremely common languages like C++ or Java. I've said this before in threads like this and I'll say it again: one language does not need to win.
Oh believe me, I know the Rust community does not itself endorse this behavior (or mindset). I do believe the vocal minority that pushes that agenda actively harms the community; however, I appreciate your effort for clarification.
