[Info-vax] VAX Macro to C conversion

[Scott Dorsey]

Bill Gunshannon  <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> wrote:
>On 7/10/19 10:06 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>> Bill Gunshannon  <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> * no string type
>>>
>>> So what?  What's so great about a string type?  Fortran
>>> didn't have it until 77.  Pascal didn't have it until UCSD.
>> 
>> Some of Arne's complaints about C are kind of silly, but this is a really
>> huge one.
>> 
>> If you look at CERT advisories regarding security vulnerabilities in the
>> past few decades, you will see that the vast majority of them are the direct
>> consequence of poor management of null-terminated strings.
>> 
>> I know, the null-terminated string thing seemed like a good idea, and easy
>> to graft onto C, but in the end it has been a terrible, terrible plan and
>> has cost us greatly.
>
>1.  Null Terminated Strings are not unique to C.

Sadly this is true.

>2.  The competent programmer knows all of this in the first place
>     and should write his programs accordingly.  Just because the
>     language doesn't range check automatically (COBOL doesn't
>     either, probably for the same reason) doesn't mean the
>     programmer can't  or shouldn't.
>
>Read  my lips.  It's not the language.

Languages are designed to make programmers more effective, not less.
--scott
-- 
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."