Why C feels natural to Johannes
Summary
Johannes explains why, despite Rust and Go, he has enjoyed working in C for more than twenty years and uses it to implement his language Fun. Johannes has been programming seriously in C for more than twenty years. He does not use C++ out of personal dislike.
Ideas
- C allows direct work with memory without assembly language.
- Syntax and a personal feel for a language strongly influence the choice of tools.
- For Johannes, Rust would be the obvious more modern alternative.
Insights
- Programming languages are chosen not only by their safety features but also by how they let you think.
- Closeness to the machine creates control and hands responsibility to the developer.
Facts
- His own programming language Fun is implemented in C.
Recommendations
- Use memory checkers, sanitizers and strict compiler warnings.
- Choose C where control justifies the additional checking effort.
References
Read the original article on hanez.org
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