I think that in other languages such as Object Pascal it is easier to be a good programmer. I've seen horrible code written in OP, yes, but I think the language itself helps a programmer be better. For one thing there are fewer ways to kill yourself than even in C++, and yet there is little difference in speed between them.
I think C is one of these "other languages" because "here be dragons".
I watch a lot of people bang out C++ code as if it's totally safe, and fail. I see a lot of people hammer out C# code and say, "to hell with you, you don't even have .NET!" And so on. But today, when a programmer sits down and writes a C program they must sit and think out what they're doing and why—with no abstractions like OO to make an easy solution.
There are so many ways to blow your head off in C without knowing you left the opportunity in the program, that it forces a competent programmer to think differently about how they code. And a newbie? Well, if they aren't scared stiff about blowing a hole in their system, they should be! ;D
And C doesn't change often, unlike other languages.
I'm no C programmer, but I've seen C code for years and translated it into whatever language I'm using at the time. I have tremendous respect for UNIX/Linux, and a great many C-powered programs. Thanks for your work on them, guys and gals.
> But today, when a programmer sits down and writes a C program they must sit and think out what they're doing and why
That's true for any programming language. Sadly, far too often, programmers are unable to afford taking the time needed to think about what they are doing or understanding what happens under the hood of the libraries they link against.
I think C is one of these "other languages" because "here be dragons".
I watch a lot of people bang out C++ code as if it's totally safe, and fail. I see a lot of people hammer out C# code and say, "to hell with you, you don't even have .NET!" And so on. But today, when a programmer sits down and writes a C program they must sit and think out what they're doing and why—with no abstractions like OO to make an easy solution.
There are so many ways to blow your head off in C without knowing you left the opportunity in the program, that it forces a competent programmer to think differently about how they code. And a newbie? Well, if they aren't scared stiff about blowing a hole in their system, they should be! ;D
And C doesn't change often, unlike other languages.
I'm no C programmer, but I've seen C code for years and translated it into whatever language I'm using at the time. I have tremendous respect for UNIX/Linux, and a great many C-powered programs. Thanks for your work on them, guys and gals.