C++ beats C hands down for most large projects - except when it comes to performance issues. Obviously the mechanisms in C++ are bloated when compared to the raw efficiency of C.

However, comparing structs and classes just isn't right. And while you may be able to emulate some aspects of OOP in C, you can't do it all. I'll also agree (as it's been said here lots before) that there are other younger OOP languages that are much easier to get into.

I think C is more suited to programming, and C++ more suited to software engineering.

C is C++' biggest enemy! This "feature" is what makes C++ unreliable when used by beginners.

Back to the subject. I've read somewhere, that there are difference of interpretation issues with some points of the C++ specification, that make the C++ language less portable than C, accross different hardware and software. Remember that Linux is NOT only for x86, and many programs often are not only for Linux, but also for *BSD, and even other Unixes.

Yves.

Do you mean it's hard to write a correct C++ compiler?

No. I mean that some people disagree on how a "correct" C++ compiler should behave. Or so I've read...

Yves.

Does it mean that different C++ compilers behave differently depending on what their authors think as "correct"? Then, what's the difference with C compilers, which differ from each other too? Or you are saying that differences in C++ compilers are more noticeable?

Couldn't you try to refresh your memory and post a link? It would be interesting to know these drawbacks of C++ compilers in detail.

That's what I mean.
Differences in C compilers mostly relate to optimisation.
Differences in C++ compilers may have to do with their support of some features, or with the meaning they give to given lines of source code.

I cannot refresh my memory, but in case you have doubts, google quickly gave me:
http://www.mozilla.org/hacking/portable-cpp.html
http://www.boost.org/more/borland_cpp.html
...

Yves.

Not to mention that fundamental changes happened which broke compatibility multiple times between 2.95 and 3.3.x versions of GCC when it comes to C++ code and the ABI. Hopefully things will be a bit more solid from now on so we won't have to port code from one version of GCC to another.