From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S261247AbULEF2O (ORCPT ); Sun, 5 Dec 2004 00:28:14 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S261251AbULEF2O (ORCPT ); Sun, 5 Dec 2004 00:28:14 -0500 Received: from inti.inf.utfsm.cl ([200.1.21.155]:58796 "EHLO inti.inf.utfsm.cl") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S261247AbULEF2L (ORCPT ); Sun, 5 Dec 2004 00:28:11 -0500 Message-Id: <200412050023.iB50NUdF025947@laptop11.inf.utfsm.cl> To: Jan Engelhardt cc: Imanpreet Singh Arora , lkml - Kernel Mailing List Subject: Re: What if? In-Reply-To: Message from Jan Engelhardt of "Thu, 02 Dec 2004 11:25:09 BST." X-Mailer: MH-E 7.4.2; nmh 1.0.4; XEmacs 21.4 (patch 15) Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 21:23:29 -0300 From: Horst von Brand Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Jan Engelhardt said: > Imanpreet Singh Arora said: > > Firstly I have read the FAQ. So though FAQ answers my question, it > >does so only partially. > > > > "What if Linux were to be implemented in C++?" > To quota Alan Cox (IIRC): "Been there, done that, threw it out". Not really. There was support to compile Linux using g++ for a C compiler some time back (because of better (at the time) type checking), the result was horrible (mainly due to compiler bugs, IIRC). The gain wasn't near worth the pain. Rewriting Linux in C++ means fundamental redesign(s); as mentioned, the VFS would become a class, as would the driver interfaces, and much more. The object model inside Linux is sufficiently different from C++'s that it would be a _huge_ job. And pointless, you'd just get Linux as it stands today, and loose many current developers (due to unfamiliarity with C++). -- Dr. Horst H. von Brand User #22616 counter.li.org Departamento de Informatica Fono: +56 32 654431 Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria +56 32 654239 Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile Fax: +56 32 797513