Live data from Hacker News

The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

efinancialcareers.com

291–300 of 595 posts

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tip: Amazon Games pays above game industry standard, hires for Unreal skill, and has options for good work/life balance. (Like any large company, it can depend on the particular game team. Moving to other teams is generally supported, if the needs and skills match up.) And answering one of the other sibling replies: if you apply for one of the games reqs, you'll be interviewed by members of the game team that posted…

The problem is that all the titles Amazon Games has developed were either flops on release or were cancelled, and the reason it’s still alive is probably because of its parent company having too much money to spend. Maybe it’s the “corporate” Amazon culture having a bad influence to the studio’s creativity… But really they seem to have no idea on how to make a game that people would like.

Yep, we have a lot to accomplish. I can only speak for my own experience but I've enjoyed the ride so far. And if Games gets old for you, broader Amazon is also supportive of transfers. Amazon's got a zillion interesting projects going, so there is a lot of opportunity to scratch whatever random itch you get. (Many use C++!)

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#292
post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Netflix separated pay and performance. Your performance was evaluated all year, and if you weren't a top performer, you were let go. In the spring we would do 360 reviews, where anyone could write a review of anyone else, to give candid feedback (although giving candid feedback was encouraged all year, but this gave you a formal outlet to do it). In the fall, your pay was evaluated (and kicked in at the new year). Yo…

Thanks for sharing! The focus on paying top compensation is very different from anywhere I've worked.

I've never seen it anywhere else either! It was one of the many things I loved about working at Netflix.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#293
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just spent two years writing a medium size fresh c++ codebase in modern style with all the warnings turned to max and nearly every static analysis tool we could throw at it from day 1. It’s been an utter pleasure with no pain that can be blamed on c++ alone. It can be done :)

I think that's great if you're writing from scratch, but I think it misses the point that the previous poster was making. Modern "pleasant" C++ is a subset of all of C++. In the realm of all C++, you can get into some REALLY bad code. That includes terse C. I work in the NYC market, and have bounced between finance and tech. The quality of C++ at a tech company, even legacy code, is magnitudes better than the stuff i…

Yeah I did a few years in finance on a c++98 code base for my sins. (My colleagues were great, but the code was not optimal to say the least. Then again I really loved making it better and faster.) My intention above was just to say experiences with c++ vary with circumstances and if you are lucky legacy isn’t part of your day to day :)

I’m lucky ;)

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#294
post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> ... setting out to learn C++ in 2023 is a major career limiting factor. No it is not. > Let's be clear, learning C++ in 2023 is like migration to Russia/China/Cuba No it is not. > you give away all your reasonable freedoms & funs to submit yourself to the mercy of a close group of "elites" who try so damn hard to dictate your life & work. No you do not. It is not a slavery operation. Learning C/C++ now is a good fo…

Please stop mixing C and C++ together. Learn C gets you to know all the underlying mechanisms. Learning C++ gives you nothing else but some overmarked concepts like OO.

I'm not mixing them. Both are good to have foundations for why things are the way they are. Completely bypassing them is asinine. There's a reason in computer science a computer organization class is still teaches about assembly instructions going through pipelines.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#295
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just spent two years writing a medium size fresh c++ codebase in modern style with all the warnings turned to max and nearly every static analysis tool we could throw at it from day 1. It’s been an utter pleasure with no pain that can be blamed on c++ alone. It can be done :)

Which static analysis tools do you recommend?

We compile with msvc so we use those built in analysis tools and also the Xcode analysis tools, and clang-tidy! And of course checking with ASan.

I may have exaggerated with the “nearly every” sorry!

But we do use sufficiently enough tools to avoid most of the pain of c++

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#296
post #149
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just spent two years writing a medium size fresh c++ codebase in modern style with all the warnings turned to max and nearly every static analysis tool we could throw at it from day 1. It’s been an utter pleasure with no pain that can be blamed on c++ alone. It can be done :)

In the audio plugin space?

Yep!

We release the same plugins on Windows, macOS and iOS so we get great coverage with compilers too. I should set up a build for Linux with gcc but haven’t had the time yet.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> except in the sense of trying to exploit market inefficiencies to take it that's precisely the bad part about it

Well yes, but the gaming industry is all about exploiting psychological efficiencies to take your money. Big Tech (in its advertising/retail/OS forms) is all about exploiting psychological inefficiencies to help other people take your money, and then taking a cut of it.

If you mean "gaming industry" meaning gambling machines, then yes. If you mean "games industry" as in video games then it's just not true that it's "all about exploiting psychological inefficiencies". There are many monetization strategies that are not exploitative that are common and even dominate in the market. Ubisoft, DLC, or Candy Crush freemium models are not representative of the whole industry.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By providing a service to customers, rather than finding ways to skim money off the top of markets?

If you ask most financial institutions they would say the service they provide is "liquidity" - they let you put your money in or take your money out at any time (in exchange for securities), as well as make decisions about where you want to allocate your capital based on your personal view of the world. This always fell a little flat to me (hence why I left the financial industry early in my career), but it's pretty…

The average retail investor just does not need that much liquidity, especially if they're not buying individual stocks (which by and large they shouldn't be).

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#299
> Anthony Peacock, formerly a quant at both Citi and Citadel said “it’s impossible to find people with a really high level of C++ skills which is exactly what every trading company wants.”

When you're looking for devs with a "really high level" of skill, that's at the far end of the knowledge curve where you'll find a smaller number of devs. I'd imagine the same holds true for pretty much every language, not just C++.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#300
post #141
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just spent two years writing a medium size fresh c++ codebase in modern style with all the warnings turned to max and nearly every static analysis tool we could throw at it from day 1. It’s been an utter pleasure with no pain that can be blamed on c++ alone. It can be done :)

for stuff like gaming & HFT, you are probably forced to do it in C++, it is a sad reality affecting small % of developers. for everything else, if you are still building fresh new projects in C++, you are making a big mistake. C++ today is like Cobol in 2010. yes, there are reasons for them to exist, people tell your the good old days, probably some fresh good recent experience. but come on, there is a much better pl…

As mentioned below we are doing audio plugins. Every cycle is precious to our artists. Especially since we are doing spectral effects.
Post reply on HN