C++/CX: Since when has C++ become the outlaw language?

I am at a team meeting and when ever I bring up DirectX and C++, there are strong statements made about the difficulty of using C++ and DirectX.  Wow.  What happened while I was away using C# and XNA between 2002 and now?

C++ so hard it can’t be used?  With all of the new tools, test management, and so forth. 

C++ is the “Rock and Roll” this city was built on, and now it is like architects and civil engineers decided suddenly that concrete is no longer cool because it is heavy and dries fast. 

I guess because C++ isn’t owned by anyone and is the basis of all of the other tools.  Also it isn’t for everyone, getting good at it is hard and you have to know the other tools really well too.  So you got to carry that heavier load.  Then usually you go through a time where everyone else seems stupid and make you angry, try to get through that timeframe quickly if you are a growing C++ person.  If you are reading this then you are likely wishing you could be confident about the C++ story into the future, you can.  What about Java?  Java is owned by Oracle, make sure you read the EULA.  What about C#?  It isn’t owned by anyone either, and if you know C++, C# is easy to convert to even if you have an urge to write header files.

My commitment and goal

It is my goal now to simplify and create an onramp for C++/DirectX so that you can easily work with creating well designed code that uses Azure, Team Foundation Server and be able to implement Windows 8 apps, Windows phone apps and even Azure apps that are flexible, scale easily, understandable and that can easily be used with HTML5/JavaScript, XAML/C#, XAML/VB, as well as other platforms.

Finally

Looks like C++ is the computer language for outlaws.