[Info-vax] Viable versus ideal programming languages

[Simon Clubley]

On 2022-03-19, abrsvc <dansabrservices at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I have used some of the mentioned languages for some projects with success.  I suppose that the point I am making too is that the correct languages should also fit the problem.  Using JAVA for example to solve numerical problems makes no sense.  FORTRAN is ideal for such things. (I know, Simon will say that C is too...).  Just because a language is new and is all the rage, does not mean that it is the right choice.

Actually Dan, no, I most certainly would _not_ say that.

I would say that C is a _viable_ programming language in that case,
but I would not say that it is an _ideal_ programming language.

You may end up using something that is viable but is not your preferred
language. This could be due to language availability across multiple
environments, the ability of the language to be easily called from
other languages, etc.

This is especially important when you are writing library code for
example. Consider that I can write a portable library in C, and I can
then compile it unchanged on VMS, Linux/FreeBSD/Unix, Windows, embedded
operating systems, bare metal ARM/MIPS/etc, and even 8/16-bit MCUs if
the library is small enough.

I can then easily call that C library from a wide range of languages
running on those multiple operating systems and environments. The language
also allows me to create code that runs both in kernel mode and user mode.

Name one other programming language that allows me to do all that.

So, yes, I do think C is the most viable language in a wide range of areas,
(and it's way better than Macro-32/Bliss), but I do not consider it to be
the _ideal_ language in those areas. I believe I have expressed my
language preferences enough times in this area. :-)

(And I still think it's a pity that Pillar never got established as
an alternative to C).

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.