Tom [Cargil]s suggestion with a further idea: Propsers of new [C++] features should be required to donate a kidney. That would - Jim [Waldo] pointed out - make people think hard before proposing, and even people without any sense would propose at most two extensions.

It's easy to win forgiveness for being wrong; being right is what gets you into real trouble.

I assume that a sufficiently skilled will be able to do anything not explicitly forbidden by the hardware.

I like doing research that has an impact. If I went to a company to make what they call 'real money,' I'd be just trying to make a system work as fast as possible to meet the product and serice deadlines.

The first law of computer science: Every problem is solved by yet another indirection.

After all, C++ isn't a perfect match for Java's design aims either.

There's an old story about the person who wished his computer were as easy to use as his telephone. That wish has come true, since I no longer know how to use my telephone.