Java's weakness, C++'s strength

For the most part I enjoy coding in Java more than in C++. Especially with tools like the Intellij IDEA refactoring editor, my productivity is higher in Java and my pain lower. However, the one thing from C++ I miss the most is the destructor.

Strangely, many C++ programmers (at least those I witness) seem to overlook this strength. One of my favorite utility classes is so simple:

#include <stdio.h>

class auto_file {
  FILE* filep;

public:
  auto_file (const char *path, const char *mode) {
    if (!(filep = open (path, mode))
      throw some_program_specific_exception (path, mode);
  }

  ~auto_file () { close (filep); }

  operator FILE* () { return filep; }
};

Most times I could just use <fstream>, but sometimes I need to pass around file descriptors or FILE pointers to code outside my control. And when you work with sockets (which need the same treatment), there is no standard library facility.

Java's try-finally approach to releasing system resources is ok for many uses, but is prone to forgetfulness and does not work at all when object scope is complex.

The one thing I miss most in Java is the destructor. It would be swell to introduce a new language facility for them (something different from the finalize() fiasco). With garbage collection, Java could do an even better job than C++.