> I could probably still compile C++ code from 1996, you can't even compile Scala code from 2012.
You might be surprised. Try compiling PRCS [1], for example.
There are two problems that you're likely to encounter. One, C++ standards compliance has always been a challenge (as a result of overly complex language design), and older compilers often weren't compliant. g++ 3.x in particular comes to mind. The other problem is that people often inadvertently used non-portable language extensions that allowed non-compliant code to compile.
That's not counting the language-independent issue with evolving libraries, where the 1996 version compiles, but is essentially useless, and the 2014 version is subtly (or not so subtly) different (if it hasn't been discontinued).
You might be surprised. Try compiling PRCS [1], for example.
There are two problems that you're likely to encounter. One, C++ standards compliance has always been a challenge (as a result of overly complex language design), and older compilers often weren't compliant. g++ 3.x in particular comes to mind. The other problem is that people often inadvertently used non-portable language extensions that allowed non-compliant code to compile.
That's not counting the language-independent issue with evolving libraries, where the 1996 version compiles, but is essentially useless, and the 2014 version is subtly (or not so subtly) different (if it hasn't been discontinued).
[1] http://prcs.sourceforge.net/