The worst programming language of all time
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters cite it as a thorough, accurate catalogue of C++'s long-standing problems, whether they are discussing Microsoft's move to Rust, building a modern C++ cheatsheet, or defending C's simplicity.
Recommended by 2 people across 2 different months, 2025 to 2026.
What it is
Lazo Velko's two-hour video essay is a sweeping critique of C++, covering casting, headers, build systems, package management, templates, undefined behavior, memory safety, tooling and the job market. It ends with a verdict and advice on who should learn the language.
What people said
Strong rec aeve890 · 2026-01 · Hacker News · on “Show HN: C/C++ Cheatsheet – a modern, practical reference for C and C++”
If you Google "modern c++" you will probably find ~c++11 tutorials and posts and less and less content on the latest c++ standards where some things considered "modern" a few years ago are already deprecated or not considered "best practices" anymore. I'd check this[0] excellent mega rant about c++ and take the best parts to create a truly "contemporary c++" cheatsheet. [0] [this video]
Recommends avaer · 2025-12 · Hacker News · on “Microsoft to replace all C/C++ code with Rust”
As off the wall as this kind of thinking is, I actually agree this is probably what Microsoft has to embrace, and this isn't even going far enough. Anyone who has experience with LLMs knows that strong typing, static validation, and testing is how you get the most out of codegen. The kind of thing Rust is for. I can think of ways to do this gradually, that would actually work. It's something that would take years to see effects in a C++ codebase but I think the alternative of sticking with C++ is a dead end. Somewhat relevant: I chuckled at this (quite accurate) 2 hour overview of the unfixable problems with C++: [this video] . Unreliable source: I worked at Microsoft (on C++) many years ago and
Cites dzhar11 · 2026-10 · Hacker News · on “Type Safe Generic Data Structures in C (2025)”
(C++) The worst programming language of all time [this video] (10m ago) These macro tricks (from the article) are not about recreating C++ in C. C is less opinionated (comp. to C++): it gives you fewer built-in abstractions; does not prescribe which DS dev. should use. It is bring-your-own-data-structures language. Bring whatever you choose. In C, newer language standard is not always better. Older lang standards support more platforms. There is a certain beauty in writing in an old language while still applying modern coding practices. I like C. I don't hate other languages. I wouldn't use C for apps that should have been written in C# with WinForms...