Let's be real about dependencies

a year ago

The article discusses the issue of dependencies in software development, comparing Rust and C/C++ programs.
It highlights that while Rust programs are often criticized for having many dependencies, C/C++ programs also have numerous dependencies, but they are often hidden as system libraries.
The author examines several real-life C/C++ programs (RViz, VLC, lighttpd, debfoster, dash) to analyze their dependencies.
The article points out that using libraries in C/C++ is cumbersome, leading developers to re-implement functionality instead of relying on external libraries.
It concludes that modern package managers like cargo and npm shift dependency management from the system to the programmer, offering more control and reproducibility.
The author suggests that solutions like static linking, containerization, or vendoring dependencies are trade-offs between control and complexity.

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