Ann Harrison wrote:

<snip>

Ann,

Beautifully said. Succint.

I believe, however, that the caveats against C++
were due to the near impossibility of ensuring discipline
amongst any but the most experienced and disciplined teams.

The existence of thousands if ifdefs now [in C] makes
me wonder what fate awaits a couple years of C++.

When I read statements from C++ gurus such as [to paraphrase]:
"...after 13 years of coding in C++ I'm still finding new corners of
the language to explore" makes me envision a rather onerous process.

The only alternative to C++ or Java that I've heard kicked around
is Microsoft's rumoured C-Sharp [C#], the Java-killer but that's
likely another thread.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings...