[Info-vax] Rust as a HS language, was: Re: Quiet?

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 4/6/2022 8:00 PM, chris wrote:
> On 04/06/22 01:25, Dan Cross wrote:
>> In article<jb43vkFbiv7U2 at mid.individual.net>,
>> Bill Gunshannon<bill.gunshannon at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>> On 4/5/22 19:46, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>>>
>>>> C and C++ are currently dominating the low level code area, but
>>>> there are some well known problem.
>>>>
>>>> Two of those problems are:
>>>> * buffer overruns
>>>> * memory leaks
>>>
>>> Both those problems were fixed 40 years ago.  The fixes were
>>> ignored and the company offering Safe C went out of business.
>>
>> This is simply false.  That there existed _one_ implementation
>> that claimed to "fix" C 40 years ago does not mean that the
>> problems with C were fixed.
>>
>> Moreover, buffer overruns and memory leaks are just two classes
>> of problems that some implementations may have taken steps to
>> fix.  There are many, many others that more modern languages
>> address: type incompatibilities, pointer safety, non-nullable
>> reference types, well-defined ownership semantics, and many,
>> many others.
> 
> This sounds like medication to cure everyone from their sloppy
> programming. The infantilisation of complex subjects, just to give the 
> lazy an easier time, while still getting the product built.
> The answer to that is not languages that constrain movement, but
> developing more professional skills and applying due diligence
> and attention to detail to system design and implementation.
> 
> I must be getting old, so what happened to pursuit of excellence
> and more ?...

If one believe it is the morally best to make results
clearly reflect the difference between good and bad
programmers then that makes sense.

But businesses does not exist to pursue such moral
goals. Businesses exist to make money. The reality
is that there are good, mediocre and bad programmers
out there. Businesses want the tools that enable
all their developers to be productive. So tools
preventing the bad programmers from shooting
themselves in the foot is good business.

Arne