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I need some opinions, does make inheritance C++ slower than C and if yes, would it make sense to not use inheritance at all for that reason. I must admit that I'm not getting the idea behind inheritance and therefore would rather like to keep inheritance out of my code! I mean I know how to use inheritance in theory but I always felt it's something programmers don't really need.
In short terms, I HATE INHERITANCE. So I'm looking for a good reason(excuse  ) to keep it out of my code. I'm working on a project right now and so far I'm not using inheritance and I'm happy with that.
So in order to have something to write into my Technical Design Document of the Gunman project. I need a few good reasons why I kept inheritance out of my code. This Technical Design Document later will read my future employer, so it's part of my CV and I need something good to write. Everything, but no excuses!
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Cyon111 wrote: I need some opinions, does make inheritance C++ slower than C and if yes, would it make sense to not use inheritance at all for that reason.
Inheritance helps to reuse the existing code with little or no modification. It always improve your performance design and reduce complexity - if used wisely. 
I think the term performance made confusion.
Cyon111 wrote: In short terms, I HATE INHERITANCE. So I'm looking for a good reason(excuse Laugh ) to keep it out of my code. I'm working on a project right now and so far I'm not using inheritance and I'm happy with that.
 I recommend you to go through the object oriented concepts once again.
Regards,
Jijo.
_____________________________________________________
http://weseetips.com[ ^] Visual C++ tips and tricks. Updated daily.
modified on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 5:47 AM
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Funny how you got downvoted on that. 
Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal - Friedrich Nietzsche
.·´¯`·->Rajesh<-·´¯`·.
[Microsoft MVP - Visual C++]
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Rajesh R Subramanian wrote: Funny how you got downvoted on that. Smile
No idea buddy. Well, now a days I try to follow CPillani. He's so cool to down votes. He really never minds it. 
Regards,
Jijo.
_____________________________________________________
http://weseetips.com[ ^] Visual C++ tips and tricks. Updated daily.
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Does inheritance make C++ slower? Assuming you're comparing to C++ used without inheritance then the answer is probably yes a tiny bit in the short term but no in the longer term. Each call to a virtual instruction takes a few ~5 instructions more than a non virtual call but becuase your code will be smaller when written using inheritance, with less copying of data the overall result has a reasonable chance of being faster, less cache misses, faster loading, faster Dll rebasing etc.
If you're really keen on speeding up your C++ code you'll get 1000 x as much performance improvement from using an optmised heap manager as you will from avoiding a few virtual calls. As for inheritence, it's there for a reason and that reason is that a lot of very experienced developers think it's good idea and make use of it. Draw your own conclusions
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage."
Thucydides (B.C. 460-400)
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I was afraid of that. A lot of very experienced developers you say? Well, whether I want it to or not I think as soonest I have time available, I have to run some tests on inheritance. I mean, if I try to play the smart ass and say that inheritance is for nothing but the truth is the opposite, what would my future employer think? NOOOOOB!  That would be bad!
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I think you are only looking at one side of the problem. Everything is not only about performances. Otherwise, why not write everything in assembler ? That's certainly in theory the most performant choice. In theory only because of course you loose a lot of features that help you write maintainable code, so you will probably introduce more bugs.
I know what you think about it because I had the same point of view when I learned that at school. I also thought that virtual functions were totally useless. Man, was I ever so wrong . I think you need to play a lot with it to see that it can make your code much more readable. But you have to switch to the OO way of thinking which is quite difficult at the begining. Otherwise, why using C++ if you are merely doing C using the C++ syntax ?
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Exactly. Of course as Cedric says it's not al about performance. There's also all the cool things you can do with inheritance that you could of course do without it but it wouldn't be any fun.
Here's my map class for example
<br />
template < class TFirst, class TSecond ><br />
class CTMap : public CTIndexedArray < CTMapPair < TFirst, TSecond > ><br />
{<br />
public:<br />
typedef CTMapPair<TFirst, TSecond> TItem;<br />
<br />
CTMap()<br />
{<br />
}<br />
<br />
virtual ~CTMap()<br />
{<br />
}<br />
<br />
bool operator != (CTMap<TFirst, TSecond>& Comperand)<br />
{<br />
return ! CTIndexedArray< TItem >::operator ==(Comperand);<br />
}<br />
};<br />
Yep, that's all of it. So small I can post it here thanks to inheritance.
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage."
Thucydides (B.C. 460-400)
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Cyon111 wrote: This Technical Design Document later will read my future employer, so it's part of my CV and I need something good to write.
Well, don't put that in your CV because I guess nobody a bit experienced will hire you. Without inheritance, you wouldn't be able to realistically write Object Oriented code. And I can assure you that OO programming is quite used in C++ or any library that you will use. I guess you didn't really understand all the power it can bring to your code. Read some articles about polymorphism, you'll see what it will bring to you.
Cyon111 wrote: but I always felt it's something programmers don't really need.
I use it all the time, believe me. I can't imagine not using it anymore.
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Cedric Moonen wrote: Well, don't put that in your CV because I guess nobody a bit experienced will hire you.
Yes, to this conclusion I came with the last reply of mine, too. ![Rose | [Rose]](https://codeproject.global.ssl.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/rose.gif)
Hell it was a good idea to post here before I put it seriously into my TDD and not to mention into the CV.
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If inheritence was useless, why would people invent new languages such like Java or C# which are fully OO ?
man, you certainly have to go through OOP and forget your way of thinking in C.
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Yes, I guess I stick to C pretty much. My slogan was: "Simple but effective!". With inheritance now I'm not sure whether I can maintain this slogan any more. Though, if it's true that inheritance can improve the design of the code, and I'm beginning to understand that it can, then for the sake of my slogan indeed I HAVE to include inheritance into my code.
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Cyon111 wrote: Yes, I guess I stick to C pretty much. My slogan was: "Simple but effective!".
Simple? You must try working on large code bases, one written on C and another on C++. You will then know which is more simpler.
Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal - Friedrich Nietzsche
.·´¯`·->Rajesh<-·´¯`·.
[Microsoft MVP - Visual C++]
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Well, there was a misconception on my side. I always thought that a simple language will resolve in a simple, short code. I might be wrong about that. 
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well, let's imagine the smarter/most effective language in the world.
how many lines of code de you think it would be for Windows to be written ?
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toxcct wrote: how many lines of code de you think it would be for Windows to be written
an oneliner, or maybe two (kernel code):
COperatingSystem co = new [OperatingSystem()];
co.Run(true); /* true to activate random bugs */
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yup...
and now, show out the COperatingSystem class
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Uff, you are asking questions. I was wrong about inheritance and it was not the first time I was wrong about C++, so I'm floating in some sort of Lack-Of-Self-Confidence cloud right now. I would rather prefer to end this embarrassing post.
Though, on the bright side, it's better to embarrass myself here rather then later in my CV. So thank you guys for your time.
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that was a rethorical question indeed... no need to answer it.
it was just to show you the "wrongness" of your last assertion.
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Cyon111 wrote: Simple but effective
maybe.
now with C++, your slogan will become "Effective at any cost !" 
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toxcct wrote: Effective at any cost !
I'm sure the customer would like to hear that slogan, tox'... 
How about exchanging "any" for "less"?
"It's supposed to be hard, otherwise anybody could do it!" - selfquote
"High speed never compensates for wrong direction!" - unknown
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f*ck the customers off ! lol.
we work for a better code and I don't like people telling me to code crap because a moron wants it earlier...
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toxcct wrote: we work for a better code and I don't like people telling me to code crap because a moron wants it earlier...
I'm right beside you on the barricades, possibly with my back full of arrows 'cause that's how the pioneers are recognized. 
"It's supposed to be hard, otherwise anybody could do it!" - selfquote
"High speed never compensates for wrong direction!" - unknown
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Cyon111 wrote: In short terms, I HATE INHERITANCE.
So then why do you use it?
Cyon111 wrote: So I'm looking for a good reason(excuse ) to keep it out of my code.
That's not possible.
Cyon111 wrote: I'm working on a project right now and so far I'm not using inheritance...
I doubt that.
"Love people and use things, not love things and use people." - Unknown
"The brick walls are there for a reason...to stop the people who don't want it badly enough." - Randy Pausch
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DavidCrow wrote: So then why do you use it?
I have the feeling that I have to. I can't be the only one in a developer team who does not use inheritance. I guess it simply belongs to C++ and I have to accept it.
DavidCrow wrote: That's not possible.
I was afraid of that!
DavidCrow wrote: I doubt that.
Well, the Gunman project is smaller than you think and it's at the beginning. However, id Software programmed Quake 3 Arena without even using classes! Though, the newer game, Doom 3, has classes. I just had a look at it in order to learn how to use inheritance and well it's interesting. So far it seems that they only inherit classes and only 1 class at a time. Here is such a inheritance chain:
idAFEntity_WithAttachedHead -> idAFEntity_Gibbable -> idAFEntity_Base -> idAnimatedEntity -> idEntity -> idClass
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