# C++: The Documentary

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/c-plus-plus-the-documentary/

6 people recommended C++: The Documentary in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 12 months, in 2 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

5 of the 6 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “C++: The Documentary Released Today”.

**Verdict:** Free documentary on C++'s history with famous contributors and early-days stories; critics say it feels promotional, with few critical voices.

Summary written by Claude from 8 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 7 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Features well-known C++ contributors (2 comments in the sample): "What a lineup of contributors—Stroustrup, Stepanov, Kernighan, Lattner, and more in one film." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48410026)) "The C++ documentary released last month was great and featured him a lot" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48863720))

## What people warn about

- One-sided, promotional, lacks critical voices (1 comment in the sample): "The video certainly feels more like a hagiography and I noticed the lack of critical voices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48419336))
- Built from short talking-head sentences (1 comment in the sample): "I cannot watch a documentary that's made out of people saying short sentences." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48410591))

## Other documentary films people recommend

- [You Can See Everything](https://hackerapproved.com/p/you-can-see-everything/): 30 recommend, 8 mixed, 28 criticize
- [HyperNormalisation by Adam Curtis](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hypernormalisation/): 13 recommend, 1 mixed, 1 criticize
- [The Thinking Game](https://hackerapproved.com/p/thinking-game-documentary/): 13 recommend, 1 mixed, 8 criticize
- [It's Quieter in the Twilight](https://hackerapproved.com/p/it-s-quieter-in-the-twilight/): 12 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "C++: The Documentary", https://hackerapproved.com/p/c-plus-plus-the-documentary/ (6 recommend, 2 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.