In my current position, I work with both Perl and C++. Personally, I prefer working in Perl, but see a very important place for C++ in a number of applications. (Far less than it's used for, but I'm biased towards more intelligent and less insular languages ... like Perl!)

Recently, I found myself working with a C++ file. What it does is irrelevant. What's important is the following pseudo-code:

for (int i=0; i < SomeValue; i++)
{
    Class_A *a;
    Class_B *b;

    int SomeID;

    if (SomeFlag != SomeValue)
    {
        a = (Class_A *) some_param;
        SomeID = a->getID;
    }
    else
    {
        b = (Class_B *) some_param;
        SomeID = b->getID;
    }

    switch (SomeID)
    {
        case FIRST_CASE:
            if (SomeFlag != SomeValue)
            {
                SomeArray[i].value = a->FirstMethod;
            }
            else
            {
                SomeArray[i].value = b->FirstMethod;
            }
            break;
        case SECOND_CASE:
            if (SomeFlag != SomeValue)
            {
                SomeArray[i].value = a->SecondMethod;
            }
            else
            {
                SomeArray[i].value = b->SecondMethod;
            }
            break;
    }
}
[download]

That switch has over 80 choices. Class_A and Class_B share an interface, but not a base class.

The be-grateful part here is that, because of weak typing and lazy evaluation, we could do the following in Perl:

my %CaseToMethod = (
    FIRST_CASE => 'FirstMethod',
    SECOND_CASE => 'SecondMethod',
);

for my $i (0 .. $SomeValue - 1)
{
    my $method = $CaseToMethod($some_param->GetID);
    $SomeArray[$i]{value} = $some_param->$method;
}
[download]

A few of the many benefits that scaling 80 * 8 lines down to 80 * 1 + 8 (and being able to separate the two):

1. Easier to read because I can parse the concept
2. Easier to maintain because it's easier to understand
3. Easier to improve because I can see everything I'm touching
4. Less likely for bugs to creep in because I don't have to keep 80 things in my head
5. Just darn nicer to deal with!

I'm not attempting to slam C++. There are tons of reasons to work in C++ over Perl, the main one being that it's a technology choice that was made 4 years before you heard of the project. But, that doesn't mean I can't have a soft spot in my heart yearning for the greener pastures of Perl.

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We are the carpenters and bricklayers of the Information Age.

Don't go borrowing trouble. For programmers, this means Worry only about what you need to implement.