The question isn't "Can C++ work?" or "Will C++ be faster?" because we all know it can work and that it will be faster.  The question is "At what point does the extra development time become more expensive than just adding another server to my Ruby/Python/C#/Whatever App"<p>For me, someone who learned C++ in school but has been in managed enviornments ever since, I'd be too scared to use C++.  I'm not ashamed to admit I get a lot of help from the Internet when I'm stuck on a problem and that help is available because everyone else is using the same tools I am.  Using C++ to code web apps puts you out in the wilderness as far as I'm concerned and I just don't think I could do it.