Reference counting is available in C++ through the use of smart pointers ( ex. boost::shared_ptr ). In fact unlike Objective C there is no need to explicitly increment/decrement the reference count.
Yes, but the problem is that it's just one approach out of many, so when using other libraries and APIs, you have no consistency. (For example, you'll have to wrap their classes in your refcounting scheme, and unwrap when passing them back in.)
