The stuff I've done in C++ would have worked as well or better in a language with garbage collection. On the other hand if you want to write the next OS kernel, then you need a "better C++" that is designed to work without GC. In the latter case, I think there is no question that Rust is your best bet today. I'd like a programming language that is statically compiled, with good performance, garbage collection, and decent support for abstraction. It's the last part where I think Go comes up short, and I think the Go designers think that's a feature not a defect.
> I'd like a programming language that is statically compiled, with good performance, garbage collection, and decent support for abstraction.
It feels like you're mixing actual requirements (like "good performance" and "decent support for abstraction") here with things that are more like implementation details ("garbage collection", "statically compiled"). I don't really understand why you want "garbage collection", as such, though I could understand wanting some kind of increased productivity from not having to think about memory management. However, if your real requirement is as I describe it here, then I would still contend that Rust fits the bill.
