Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> Because then it's no longer minimal.

C "might" be minimal but it brings with it a whole lot of dangerous baggage. Other languages can be just as minimal without the baggage.

> This isn't a "real program", as such. It's a demo

I didn't mean to imply anything different. I was just curious why C was used in the modern day where we (all?) know that C is a language that _should not_ be used for demoing because less experienced devs will think they can use C too and continue to create dangerous code



> why C was used in the modern day

  /* TinyWM is written by Nick Welch <mack@incise.org>, 2005.
   *
   * This software is in the public domain
   * and is provided AS IS, with NO WARRANTY. \*/
> we (all?) know that C is a language that _should not_ be used for demoing because less experienced devs will think they can use C too and continue to create dangerous code

That seems rather patronizing.

I have no great love for C; it has sharp edges for sure, but it can be used just fine for a great many things even today. I've written a bunch of C programs because it's simple, straight-forward, "just works" (mostly), and I'm not writing OpenSSL or a network daemon so if I have an occasional buffer overflow it's not even a big deal.


CWM written in C works better over the years. Compiling C++ software from 2004-2007 can be a nightmare.

Also, on C, please, get OpenBSD and check their security practices.


Pff, that's modern C. K&R C was a bit more of a challenge. I wonder if there's any of my old industrial code on QNX still in operation? I wrote it in the early 90's after ANSI C was available as the ANSI compiler didn't interwork with the GUI.


C is fine. It’s the programmer that makes mistakes


But that's exactly my point! Other languages help to prevent the programmer from making mistakes that are common in C


C is fine. Leave it alone




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: