As someone that had the option to choose between C and C++, coming from compiled BASIC and Object Pascal backgrounds, back in the early 1990's.
What makes C++ valueable is being a TypeScript for C, born in the same UNIX and Bell Labs farm (so to speak), allowing me to tap into the same ecosystem, while allowing me to enjoy the high level abstractions of programming languages like Smalltalk, Lisp, or even Haskell.
Thus I can program on MS-DOS limited with 640 KB, an ESP32, Arduino, a CUDA card, or a distributed system cluster with TB of memory, selecting which parts are more convinient for the specific application.
Naturally I would like in 2025 to be able to exercise such workflows with a compiled managed language instead of C++, however I keep being in the minority, thus language XYZ + C++ it is.
Yes, managed languages are all that have some form of automatic resource management, regardless of what shape it takes, or a more high language runtime.
Using Go as example, and the being in minority remark, you will remember the whole discussion about Go being a systems language or not, and how it was backpedaled to mean distributed systems, not low level OS systems programming.
Now, I remember when programming compilers, linkers, OS daemons/services, IoT devices, firmware was considered actual systems programming.
But since Go isn't bootstraped, TinyGo and TamaGo don't exist, that naturally isn't possible. /s
What makes C++ valueable is being a TypeScript for C, born in the same UNIX and Bell Labs farm (so to speak), allowing me to tap into the same ecosystem, while allowing me to enjoy the high level abstractions of programming languages like Smalltalk, Lisp, or even Haskell.
Thus I can program on MS-DOS limited with 640 KB, an ESP32, Arduino, a CUDA card, or a distributed system cluster with TB of memory, selecting which parts are more convinient for the specific application.
Naturally I would like in 2025 to be able to exercise such workflows with a compiled managed language instead of C++, however I keep being in the minority, thus language XYZ + C++ it is.