Comment Re:depends upon what you're making (Score 3, Informative) 757
I haven't read Linux's rant against C++ for a while, but he is correct that C++ isn't a good choice for an OS kernel. The only major kernel written in C++ that I know of is Windows NT, and it uses only a subset of C++ language features. In particular, it disables exceptions, disables RTTI, removes new/delete, and it doesn't have the standard library. Microsoft wrote their C++ compiler with this in mind, and there is a compiler flag to disable kernel unfriendly features (documented here). For everyone else, it's easier to just say that the C++ subset for kernel development is C (minus the standard library).
For non kernel use, C++ is superior to C in the hands of an expert programmer, but mediocre programmers who don't understand the language tend to write absolutely horrible code. And you can't take an expert C or Java programmer and expect them to write expert C++ code with just a few weeks practice. C++ is one of those languages that you have to dedicate a lot of time to, but it can be worth it if you require highly optimized code, have low latency requirements, or have low space requirements (areas where higher level languages like Java don't do well).