Article by Ayman Alheraki on January 11 2026 10:32 AM
For many years, C++ has been a cornerstone of my professional journey. I have been working with C++ since it became an ISO standard in 1990, relying heavily on it for all my desktop projects since 2004. Back then, C++ had no real competitors in terms of power and efficiency. However, I had to come to terms with the notorious memory management issues, spending more time debugging and testing my code than I would with other languages. Over the years, from 2004 to 2022, I developed about 18 applications ranging from small utilities to massive software solutions.
With the evolution of C++, particularly after the 2011 updates, I greatly benefited from new features added to the language. One of the most impactful additions was smart pointers, which significantly simplified memory management, reducing the frequency of memory-related issues to a rare occurrence.
Despite these advancements, some critics claim that C++ is on the verge of obsolescence due to the emergence of languages like Rust, which is said to solve memory management problems with the same efficiency as C++. However, I see the rise of Rust as a positive development. It is a great language that will certainly attract its share of users, but it will not completely replace C++. Every programmer has their own preferences and reasons for choosing a specific language. Moreover, the presence of Rust has pushed the C++ community, including compiler designers and the standards committee, to address legacy issues and enhance the language's safety features.
For example, there could be options for developers to incorporate Rust-like ownership and borrowing concepts to manage memory during the debugging phase, which can then be optimized out in the release builds. Alternatively, features like Garbage Collection could be introduced as optional tools to further close the gap with languages that offer more robust memory safety by default.
On the other hand, some C++ enthusiasts refuse to consider any comparison with other languages, dismissing them outright. This mindset is also problematic. The programming ecosystem is vast and diverse, with room for multiple languages, ideas, and developers. Each developer should work with the language they feel most comfortable with and that best suits their project needs.
In conclusion, it's not fair to say that learning C++ was a waste of time. On the contrary, C++ remains a powerful and versatile language that continues to evolve and adapt. Its continuous development ensures that it will remain relevant and effective in the future, alongside other languages like Rust that offer new and innovative solutions to traditional programming challenges.
By embracing the strengths of both languages and learning from each other, we can drive the future of software development forward. There's no one-size-fits-all solution in programming; it's all about choosing the right tool for the job and leveraging its strengths to build better, more efficient, and more secure software.