Keep in mind that since C++ is usually used for performance critical code, its compilers are often highly tuned and produce good code (see Intel's ICC for number crunching code).
A less popular language - or one that is usually used for less-critical code - will suffer.
C++ wasn't always so fast. See Kernighan and Pike, "The Practice of Programming" for a simple example where Java surprisingly beats C++.
True, but this is one of the reasons people choose to code in C++. The quality of tools & common libraries is as much a factor in language selection as the syntax and semantics of the language itself.
A less popular language - or one that is usually used for less-critical code - will suffer.
C++ wasn't always so fast. See Kernighan and Pike, "The Practice of Programming" for a simple example where Java surprisingly beats C++.