Week 24 - 2026

This week I finally had time to watch “The Story of C++: The World’s Most Consequential Programming Language | The Official Story” and really enjoyed it!

Takeaway

As someone who has been programming in C++ for more than 20 years, I found the documentary to be a fascinating. It was great to see how C++ has evolved over the decades and how it has been applied across such a wide range of domains, from video games and embedded systems to financial markets. The documentary also highlights that many other programming languages including Python, Java, and even newer ones like Rust, have been deeply influenced by C++ in their design and features.

One theme that came through strongly was the pragmatism of the language’s stewards. At some point, Bjarne Stroustrup says that if you develop a programming language in isolation and without listening to users, you’re doing it wrong. I couldn’t agree more. The success of C++ is deeply connected to its willingness to evolve in response to real-world problems.

Learning history gives perspective. Most programming languages introduce useful ideas for their time, but remaining relevant across multiple decades is much harder. You have to listen to users, understand their problems, and continuously provide solutions. There is no doubt that C++ has done this better than almost any other language.