The Siren Call of "the C++ ABI"

In a recent email thread on the ACCU-general mailing list, Adrian Fagg came out with the immortal statement:

"You might think that calling direct to C++ across those boundaries is a triumph of technology, I think it's a siren luring you onto the rocks."

This is so cool, I'm almost speechless. (Yes, my friends, I could never actually be speechless. Perhaps I should say "This is so cool, I'm experiencing a temporary diminution of my garrullous and overweening eloquence"? Perhaps not.)

Anyhoo, this would have a been a great quote to lead into part 2 of Imperfect C++, which covers a number of issues regarding C++'s non-standard, tricky, and limiting attempts at ABIs.