Is C/C++ really a bad decision?

 There are lot of programming languages available. The famous one is Python, but Java, C# and Go are also looking powerful. For writing a software prototype, the Python language is perhaps the ideal choice. Its available in Linux and Windows both and can be used to create all sort of apps and scripts.

The main problem of Python is its performance. Especially for programming games the system is too slow. Even if precompiled third party library are used for example pygame, the framerate in python is too little. Its nearly impossible to write a fast scrolling racing game.

The next better choice over Python is C/C++. C++ is known for its complex syntax. Also the problem with C++ is, that every programmer invents its own programming style. The main advantage of C++ is, that it is much faster and the programmer has more control over the situation. Sure, C++ is harder to learn than Python, but compared to vanilla C and even compared to asembly language, C++ has to be mentioned as a beginner friendly language.

Its beginner friendly because the newbie can create with a low amount of code lines and with the help of existing tutorials a graphical demo like the following one:

// compile with g++ hello.cpp -lsfml-graphics -lsfml-window -lsfml-system
#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>
#include <iostream>

int main() {
    // init window
    sf::RenderWindow window(sf::VideoMode(640, 480), "Hello world!");
    window.setVerticalSyncEnabled(true);
    window.setFramerateLimit(25);
    sf::CircleShape shape(40);
    shape.setFillColor(sf::Color(0, 0, 250));
    sf::Vector2f position;
    // game loop
    while (window.isOpen()) {
        sf::Event event;
        while (window.pollEvent(event))
            if (event.type ==
            sf::Event::Closed)
                window.close();
        window.clear(sf::Color(255, 255, 255));
        window.draw(shape);
        window.display();
        // move
        shape.move(1.f, 0.f);
        position = shape.getPosition(); // = (15, 55)
        std::cout<<"pos "<<position.x<<" "<<position.y<<"\n";
        if (position.x>300) {
          shape.move(-300.f, 30.f);
        }
    }
    return 0;
}

In around 30 lines of code, a ball is shown on the screen which is moving from left to right. The source code compiles into a 24kb large binary file which can be created for Linux, MacOS and Windows. Also the file will need only a little amount of cpu ressources and runs more efficient than the python version.

Sure, the source code looks compared to the python version a bit messy. The programmer has to manual care about many things and it is hard to understand what the code is doing. But for writing a production ready app, C/C++ is the prefered choice. There is no programming language available which can replace this well known and powerful C dialect.

The ISA VGA card has made the PC a success

In the 1980s, many 8bit and 16 bit computer systems were available. The most successful one was the Commodore 64, and in addition there was the Amiga 500 and the Atari ST. These systems were sold for a moderate price and were equipped with mid range graphics and sound capabilities. The period of home computers ended at a specific year which was 1991. In this year, the VGA card for the IBM PC were introduced to a mass market.

On the first look the ISA VGA card doesn't look very impressive. But it was the major cause why the IBM PC has superseded the former home computers.  The VGA mode 13h provides a resolution of 320x200 pixels with 256 colors. This spectrum makes games looking the same like on an arcade machine. In addition the VGA mode provides a better gaming experience than even on the Amiga 500.

Before the invention of the VGA mode, an IBM PC provided only a low amount o colors in the CGA resolution. CGA games are looking poor compared to the Commodore 64. In other words, the decision for or against a certain computer system is made in respect to the graphics card adapter. The VGA card was a revolutionary technology which allows to use an IBM PC as a gaming machine. It is possible to use the mode for creating well looking games. Here is a comparison table from the early 1990s:

Commodore 64 (1982), 160x200 with 16 colors
Atari ST (1985), 320x200 with 16 colors
Amiga 500 (1987), 320x200 with 32 colors
IBM PC, VGA resolution (1991), 320x200 with 256 colors