That's for sure, if he/she only program in Java, then it would have a hard time with C++, but if he can learn another language and use several ones besides Java, hire him/her.

You can't read C++ code without knowing the types. Who knows if equals was overridden, everything could happen. Even then you should read, GetA() return something, then operator = is called on this something.

Perhaps I have proficiency with programming in general (solid theory) and can take new languages very easy, don't know, I know that I like to study and use many languages. Yes I have proficiency with C and C++, but I'm using both of them on work for at least 4 years now. C# and F# I used (still use them) for more than 8 years. Dynamic language come and go, but they are easy to grasp in some months. Perl I don't have a deep understanding of every behavior, but I can write scripts and read if I need, nothing that you can't get in months if you really want to go deeper. Rust I'm not using on "real jobs", but it's not like C++ or C, I'm gaining proficiency very fast in it. Yes, all of that takes too much time, I'm just programming for 13 years now, that is half my life (you must count that I don't have any social life, I just study and program and sleep). C++ is the hardest, 4 years in it and I think I can grasp 60% of it (I maybe wrong, I'll only see more years from now). Is every C++ delusional? From that those languages excluding the mathematical ones like Coq, Haskell, they are hard and fun, but I don't really do jobs with them, C++ is the most complex and slow to learn. C++ is a monster to learn, but its a fun game, you never stop discovering "hidden" things, I love/hate it for that complexity. You are right about guessing the future, that's why I try to spread my knowledge on various languages by doing projects with them, but in the end there's those 5 or 6 languages that must handle to the core to do the job. I still think you need at least 4 years to get C++, other languages are like 2 years or less. Perhaps every C++ starting programmer is delusional because of that, everyone immense underestimate C++. I think I still do that, even with years doing it.

AI with Prolog, Stats for Big Data, C++ and OO Programming

Add to it: C#, C, Rust, Perl, Functional Programming with Haskell, F# and Lisp, a lot of computer science like Compilers, Virtual Machines and theoric things like Lambda Calculus, Type Theory, Category Theory. And a lot of many more languages like Python, Ruby, ES5/6, Lua, Erlang, Scala. I also play with Idris, Coq, Sisal, Clojure and Objective C. Brain still not exploded, must be because I refuse to learn Cobol. I have hobbies like Information Security, Cryptography and Music (that I've just started learning and is fun), and I am a gamer too. All that just leave no time for social life though, that's the price (who need it when I can have all that fun).

"Wildcard arguments for generics. If I have Foobar and Foobar, it's nice to be able to put them in a collection/array typed as Foobar. The '? extends X' and '? super X' syntax might be a bit much, though."

C# has covariance and contravariance, no need for that. That Java sintax is horrible, I can't even understand it without reading the docs every time, even C++ sintax for templates I can get. It must be because of type erasure, Java doesn't really have Generics per se, it fucks on runtime with method binding, this is how we get the polymorphism, and without it, there's no true OO with Generics, Shame! (luckily I don't use Java everytime).

shhh, that's a lie, don't let them know. We get paid to play with technology. Using same technology for years get boring. Microsoft just realized that and are providing us our "games".

If it makes you better I did get it, but I'm a poor pedantry guy, also, I'm not a whole member, I'm just a bit of it.

So, that's why windows is the way it is. It's because of the user, then even Ubuntu will be "shit" because of the user. Hypothesis proved. Theorem: users will make any system became shit, replace them with IAs and everything will be good. Disclaimer, this post is a joke, I don't think Windows is a bad software, only Ubuntu, but then Vista was bad too, and it was allowed to exist.

I would destroy the user and then replace them with an SAI (strong artificial intelligence)

Give an excuse to use non tested technology/methods/procedures in the field, to use dangerous practices, everything will crumb down sometime, why care? all those software are just my experimentation lab, I don't care anymore if it will crash in two days. "You have to be professional" fuck this, they aren't being professional by accepting this shit from clients, that's why this is crazy work, everything is utter shit because of this endemic behavior of the managers, they always take deadlines out of their magic hats.

Too long? I want to kill you if you don't delete old code. That's why we have (I have, but it's hard to convince people to use) version control. There should be 0 old code commented. One time I just deleted all comments that where not proper "human" language, except for code examples, because they're the only exception to having code in comments.

No, CSharp is not platform specific. And CSharp is free, not like Java that is Oracle's property. CSharp is like JavaScript, it's standard by ECMA. Why people think that only because it was created by Microsoft, it is platform specific. This is stupidity. Haskell was created inside Microsoft too. I Also suggest you to learn it.

No, it's because it is a half tone above C.

Luckily that kind of software is not used on import things. Just on normal business data processing or whatever they call it today.

If it doesn't have ";", it is a beginner language.

Its the lack of ";". There is serious problems for languages that lack it.

GCC = GNU compiler collection. Not GNU C compiler.

And that's the thing with the "halting problem". The Universe is a computer simulation. And the only way to know is to run the code. Mathematics can't model all possible programs, just ask a mathematician to come with an equation to fully model an Operating System, and then you will see why they cant come with the Unified Theory. But they invented the set theory, and then the Turing machine, but they disregard it. Actually they invented a new field, they just cant understand it. But some like Wolfram has understood what was created. Computing > Mathematics.

If the simulation is smart than you. it would perceive what you are doing and automatically increase the resolution only for you.

Its not about software, but about creating a religion.