[Courses] [C] Next C topic: Your Choice

[Kai MacTane]

At 7/18/02 06:11 PM , Julie wrote:
>REMOVED wrote:
> >
> > In regards to C, (my wife has subscribed to this topic, but I just happened
> > to see it), forget C, it is a barabaric language that only serves the
> > function of being a universal assembler language.  Try to learn something
> > that will be useful in the future instead.
>
>People have been saying that about C for the 20 years I've
>been using the language.
>
>If you don't like it, don't use it.

Personally, I don't like it. I've tried to learn it a couple of times, and 
have decided to stick with stuff that I prefer, like Perl and PHP. However, 
I would *never* claim that it's not a useful language. Saying it "only 
serves the function of being a universal assembler language" is extremely 
bizarre to me. (For one thing, assembler *is* useful... if you need really 
serious speed, it's the only way to go.)

A few "functions" C has served in the past 10-20 years has been the coding 
of the following:

* Every Linux and Unix kernel, plus all related OS tools (make, gcc,
   all shells, etc.)
* Apache
* Perl
* PHP
* Sendmail, Qmail and Postfix
* BIND
* MySQL, PostgreSQL
* OpenSSL and OpenSSH

In other words, the entire Internet would collapse if not for C software. 
Additionally, though I can't prove this, I suspect that Windows (all 
versions), IIS, Exchange, Outlook, ASP, and so on -- basically, the MS 
equivalents of all the software I've listed above -- are/were all *also* 
written in C.

I forget whether Java is now written in C or in Java.

>On the other hand, if you come to work in my department, expect
>to know C and use C.  We used it 10 years ago and we'll be using
>it in another 10 years.  If I have my way ;-)

A perfectly reasonable expectation. I doubt I'll be working for your 
department any time soon, then, but I do think your requirement is quite 
sensible, and the fact that I can't meet it is a lack in me, not a problem 
in your department.

                                                 --Kai MacTane
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"Doom. Gloom. Angst. Despair. Tragedy."
                                                 --A. Random Goth