Yes, many or even most domains where C++ sees a large market share are domains with no other serious alternative. But this is an indictment of C++ and not praise. What it tells us is that when there are other viable options, C++ is rarely chosen.
The number of such domains has gone down over time, and will probably continue to do so.
The number of domains where low-level languages are required, and that includes C, C++, Rust, and Zig, has gone down over time and continues to do so. All of these languages are rarely chosen when there are viable alternatives (and I say "rarely" taking into account total number of lines of code, not necessarily number of projects). Nevertheless, there are still some very important domains where such languages are needed, and Rust's adoption rate is low enough to suggest serious problems with it, too. When language X offers significant advantages over language Y, its adoption compared to Y is usually quite fast (which is why most languages get close to their peak adoption relatively quickly, i.e. within about a decade).
If we ignore external factors like experience and ecosystem size, Rust is a better language than C++, but not better enough to justify faster adoption, which is exactly what we're seeing. It's certainly gained some sort of foothold, but as it's already quite old, it's doubtful it will ever be as popular as C++ is now, let alone in its heydey. To get there, Rust's market share will need to grow by about a factor of 10 compared to what it is now, and while that's possible, if it does that it will have been the first language to ever do so at such an advanced age.
even when there are alternatives, sometimes it makes sense to use a library like Qt in its native language with its native documentation rather than a binding - if you can do so safely
nemetroid|1 month ago
The number of such domains has gone down over time, and will probably continue to do so.
pron|1 month ago
If we ignore external factors like experience and ecosystem size, Rust is a better language than C++, but not better enough to justify faster adoption, which is exactly what we're seeing. It's certainly gained some sort of foothold, but as it's already quite old, it's doubtful it will ever be as popular as C++ is now, let alone in its heydey. To get there, Rust's market share will need to grow by about a factor of 10 compared to what it is now, and while that's possible, if it does that it will have been the first language to ever do so at such an advanced age.
ada0000|1 month ago