Comment by saghm
3 days ago
If they're the same language, then I think it's a fair objection that it's closed-source, as some people might find using a closed-source compiler to be unsuitable as a replacement for the existing open source C++ ones. If it's not the same language, then it's not clear that Safe C++ actually exists today, so it also seems fair that people might be interested in alternatives that they expect might be available sooner.
I don't think the objection in the first sentence makes sense because I don't think replacing the existing C++ compilers was ever in the cards. If anything, the fact that the Safe C++ proposal has a section titled "Implementation Guidance" seems to point to precisely the opposite - that the intent was for existing C++ compilers to be updated to add the new features, not that Circle was to replace them.
I'm not sure about the second sentence either? Circle (supposedly?) implements everything in the Safe C++ proposal, so in that respect Safe C++ exists. Alternatively, you can say Safe C++ doesn't exist because major compilers don't implement it, but that's kind of the point of the Safe C++ proposal (and many (most?) other C++ language proposals, for that matter) - it's describing new features that don't currently exist but might be worth adding to the standard.
> people might be interested in alternatives that they expect might be available sooner.
This is also a bit funny because this was one of the more contentious points of debate in the Safe C++ vs. profiles discussion, and the impression I got is that between the two Safe C++ was generally considered to be closer to "might be available sooner" than profiles.