C is the norm for programming games. But in ten years will programmers start using newer languages to save development time?

From what I''ve heard C++ is the norm, and I suspect that it will be for a long time.

Well, my thoughts are:

1) We''re approaching another boundry for processor technology. In other words, we''re about to cap out how fast we can make chips unless they come up with a new technology. We can only make the wires in the chips so small before they can no longer carry an electrical signal. We''re getting close apparently. Some say in the next 4-6 years we might hit that mathematical minimum size, unless we get a new paradigm in processor tech!

2) There''s another shift to centralized computing in a lot of industries since support and maintenance is becoming a nightmare of costs for most companies.

So, I believe that C and C++ still have quite a foothold. No matter how much computing power you have, someone wants to get more out of less to save a buck. So, languages with strong memory management and use fewer CPU cycles (which a well written C program does better than most any language besides ASM) will continue to be prevalent.

But, I also believe that as interpreted languages become more common place, you''ll see more and more of their use. Why write a C program to do a simple task when the same task can be done with about the same speed in a language that has looser data types and hides most of the memory handling? Perl, Python, Ruby, JScript, VBScript are quickly doing tasks that usually were reserved for C++ programs. They''re easier to develop, quicker to hit results and fill in the gaps when a fully developed, compiled language is needed.

I also think programming will have two sects so to speak. Blue collar and white collar. Meaning that there will be Engineers/Scientists who write modular code bits (ActiveX, CORBA, Window Script Components or just code groups that can be accessed by Perl/Python and others) and then distributed to the blue collar programmers to actually use. Don''t get caught up on my blue/white collar. Both will be very valuable to a company, but the focus will be different. White collars will be pumping out the reuseable code that is as pure as can be, while the blue collars will be pumping out the final programs that will be the bread and butter for companies.

Or, programming will just become less popular and we''ll all be rich.

Take your pick =)

R.

If you had 200 Ghz to play with would you still remain loyal to C/C++ when you could use another language that could shave significant time off your development?

Sure would. I''d just be using more libraries and so on if I didn''t have to worry about how well implemented they were

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It is my personal opinion that C++ won''t be going anywhere for a while. While people often bitch and moan about the difficulty of C/C++, the truth is that its only a more difficult language to learn and become accustomed to, not to program in. When I started programming in C++ after about a year of using VB, I found it to be somewhat difficult. Pointers and classes and other concepts of that nature were alien to me, difficult ideas with no apparent use. However, as I grew used to their presence, I found it almost impossible to program without them, and thus languages such as VB (somewhat ironically) actually became more cumbersome to use.



--Le sacre

Don''t WE the programmers detrmin the future of what the language will be? I mean...the future is what WE make it.

quote:The Future is what you make it

Don''t get me wrong. I''m in no rush for something to replace C/C++. And perhaps for hobby programming C++ will be used 30 years from now. But most game programming is a business, which means that the programmers will use the most cost-effective tool for the job, regardless of whether it''s the most powerful. If something can be done in programming language x in a month and it takes two months in C/C++ then they''ll go with x, even if it runs slightly slower. In the future the speed difference could be so small as to be completely impossible for the human eye to detect.

I''m not saying C/C++ isn''t the best available game programming language out there now. But when processors become really powerfully, speed won''t be as much of an issue. Saving the programmer time will be very, very important.