Bjarne Stroustrup on Why People Complain About Popular Programming Languages

“There are only two types of programming languages: those people complain about and those that nobody uses,” stated Bjarne Stroustrup, the designer and original implementer of the C++ programming language.

The comment addresses the persistent criticisms directed at C++, a language that has remained a cornerstone of systems development for decades. Stroustrup, who currently serves as a professor of Computer Science at Columbia University in New York City, argues that the prevalence of complaints is a byproduct of a language’s widespread adoption and utility in real-world applications.

Systems Development and Standardization

Stroustrup has maintained C++ as an effective tool for systems development through a combination of research, novel design techniques, and library improvements. This evolution has been driven by feedback from practical use, which informs the ongoing standardization process. He continues to contribute to the language’s trajectory through technical reports and proposals submitted to the ISO C++ Standard.

The development of the language is documented in several of Stroustrup’s authoritative works, including the fourth edition of The C++ Programming Language and the third edition of A Tour of C++. For those entering the field, he authored Programming: Principles and Practice using C++, a text specifically designed for beginners aiming for professional proficiency.

Institutional and Professional Context

Before his current appointment at Columbia University, where he has been a full professor since 2022, Stroustrup held leadership roles in the Large-scale Programming Research department at Bell Labs and served as a professor of computer science at Texas A&M University. He also spent more than a decade at Morgan Stanley.

The tension between the language’s utility and the criticisms it faces remains a central theme in the discourse surrounding modern systems programming. Stroustrup continues to engage with these critiques through his research and the publication of WG21 papers, which serve as the primary vehicle for the language’s official evolution.