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Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX)

From "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
Newsgroups comp.os.linux.misc, alt.folklore.computers, alt.unix.geeks
Subject Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX)
Date 2026-01-12 15:44 +0100
Message-ID <80ef3mxu5i.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> (permalink)
References (15 earlier) <27cv2mx5fl.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> <slrn10lq9p0.32pp5.lars@cleo.beagle-ears.com> <4Wc7R.1392895$ACS3.688415@fx17.iad> <m7023mx6eh.ln2@Telcontar.valinor> <ms867vFblsjU2@mid.individual.net>

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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On 2026-01-07 23:49, rbowman wrote:
> On Wed, 7 Jan 2026 13:30:14 +0100, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> 
>> On 2026-01-06 19:57, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>> On 2026-01-06, Lars Poulsen <lars@beagle-ears.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2026-01-06, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> My C teacher said it was a mistake to use C as an all purpose
>>>>> language, like for userland applications. Using C is the cause of
>>>>> many bugs that a proper language would catch.
>>>>>
>>>>> That was around 1991.
>>>>>
>>>>> He knew. He participated in some study tasked by the Canadian
>>>>> government to study C compilers, but he could not talk about what
>>>>> they wrote.
>>>
>>> What language(s) did he suggest instead?
>>
>> I don't remember if he did. Maybe he told samples, but I think he mostly
>> told us of quirks of the language, things that were errors, but that the
>> compiler did not signal, so that we being aware we would write correct C
>> code.
>>
>> It is possible that current C compilers signal many more problems that
>> back then, but not runtime errors.
> 
> gcc has become pickier. That isn't always a welcome thing when working
> with legacy code and requires a search of the compiler options to get it
> to shut up about such horrible heresies as assuming a function returns an
> int.

If the code were mine, I would correct the code. Even back then, I did 
not take the assumption that a function would return an integer :-D

I wrote explicit prototypes in the header file. :-)


If the code is not mine, I would use the compiler options instead. 
Unless I got paid to maintain that code, then I would correct the code.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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Re: Naughty C♯ c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-01-04 19:04 -0500
  Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-05 03:55 +0000
    Re: Naughty C♯ The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-05 11:29 +0000
      Re: Naughty C♯ Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-01-05 06:59 -0500
    Re: Naughty C♯ Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-01-05 06:55 -0500
      Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-05 17:43 +0000
        Re: Naughty C♯ Niklas Karlsson <nikke.karlsson@gmail.com> - 2026-01-05 18:08 +0000
          Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-05 20:32 +0000
          Re: Naughty C♯ Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-01-05 17:25 -0500
            Re: Naughty C♯ Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2026-01-06 07:55 +0000
              Re: Naughty C♯ Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-01-06 06:19 -0500
    Re: Naughty C♯ c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-01-05 08:26 -0500
      Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-05 18:09 +0000
      Re: Naughty C♯ Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-05 18:16 +0000
  Re: Naughty C♯ Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-05 05:57 +0000
    Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-05 17:48 +0000
      Re: Naughty C♯ The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-05 18:09 +0000
        Re: Naughty C♯ Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-05 18:20 +0000
          Re: Naughty C♯ Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-05 18:24 +0000
          Re: Naughty C♯ Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-01-05 21:44 +0000
          Re: Naughty C♯ c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-01-05 19:31 -0500
            Re: Naughty C♯ antispam@fricas.org (Waldek Hebisch) - 2026-01-06 12:16 +0000
              Re: Naughty C♯ Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-01-06 11:12 -0500
                Re: Naughty C♯ cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-01-06 16:25 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-01-06 17:59 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-01-06 19:59 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-01-06 21:57 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-01-07 13:37 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-01-07 15:30 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-06 17:26 +0000
                Re: Re: Naughty C♯ cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-01-06 17:50 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-06 19:06 +0000
              Re: Naughty C♯ c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-01-06 16:24 -0500
                Re: Naughty C♯ antispam@fricas.org (Waldek Hebisch) - 2026-01-06 23:10 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-01-07 00:22 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-01-06 21:00 -0500
                Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-07 21:24 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ antispam@fricas.org (Waldek Hebisch) - 2026-01-08 01:00 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-07 06:33 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-01-07 15:27 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-07 21:29 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-07 10:02 +0000
                Re: Re: Naughty C♯ cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-01-07 11:53 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-01-07 07:34 -0700
                Re: Re: Naughty C♯ cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) - 2026-01-07 15:13 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-01-07 12:20 -0700
                Re: Naughty C♯ John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-01-07 11:40 -0800
                Re: Naughty C♯ Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-01-07 20:20 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-07 21:36 +0000
                Re: Naughty C♯ The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-07 20:09 +0000
        Re: Naughty C♯ "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-01-06 13:36 +0100
          Re: Naughty C♯ Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-01-06 07:55 -0700
            Re: Naughty PL/I (was Re: Naughty C♯) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-01-06 20:04 +0000
          What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Lars Poulsen <lars@beagle-ears.com> - 2026-01-06 15:15 +0000
            Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-06 18:57 +0000
              Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-06 20:10 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-01-06 21:59 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-06 22:54 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-07 01:40 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-07 06:33 +0000
              Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-01-07 13:30 +0100
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-07 22:49 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-01-08 00:47 -0500
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-08 11:23 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-08 19:16 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-08 20:34 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-01-08 22:45 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) sean@conman.org - 2026-01-09 00:23 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-01-09 04:54 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-09 07:08 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-01-09 16:18 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-01-12 15:44 +0100
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-12 18:57 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-01-12 19:59 +0000
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-01-13 06:13 -0500
                Re: What is wrong with C? (and fond memories of VAX) rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-13 18:22 +0000
          Re: Naughty C♯ The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-06 17:17 +0000
          Re: Naughty C♯ rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-01-06 18:59 +0000
  Re: Naughty C♯ The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-01-05 11:26 +0000

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