Why build a new browser in C++ when safer and more modern languages are available?
Ladybird started as a component of the SerenityOS hobby project, which only allows C++. The choice of language was not so much a technical decision, but more one of personal convenience. Andreas was most comfortable with C++ when creating SerenityOS, and now we have almost half a million lines of modern C++ to maintain.
However, now that Ladybird has forked and become its own independent project, all constraints previously imposed by SerenityOS are no longer in effect. We are actively evaluating a number of alternatives and will be adding a mature successor language to the project in the near future. This process is already quite far along, and prototypes exist in multiple languages.
Languages: C++
Yeah, hard pass on looking at that code base.
From their website:
I’m not criticizing the choice of C++. I just don’t want to look at the code because I don’t personally like the language.
Same for me with Rust. I don’t like to look at it and it’s a lot harder for me to understand (and hence contribute to or modify), so I avoid it.