[techtalk] Hi.I'm new.Postfix/mail server questions...

[Daniel Manrique]

> 
> Is it then better to write a script, or for me to do it myself in C, when I'm
> not a terribly experienced C programmer, especially wrt the UNIX interfaces to
> uids, and signals, and have never really had to write anything that avoids
> overruns?
> 
> Or should every admin know C?

For the range of tasks a sysadmin usually performs, it's perhaps more
valuable to learn perl. While perl code can get pretty hairy, it doesn't
need to be so; it's also friendlier with those who don't know every caveat
and pithole the language has to offer (it's *hard* to do a buffer overrun
in perl). Plus, someone who strictly admins a system will have a greater
need to manipulate text files, something at which perl excels and C plain
sucks.

In administering a number of Linux systems, I've found perl an invaluable
tool; speaking from experience, as in my early days I did all my admin
tasks using C and I can tell you it's not fun or quick.

Perl sucks at what's generically called "systems programming" (i.e. it's
crazy to try to program a kernel module in perl). That's strictly C's
domain. :)

	- Roadmaster

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