Can anyone recomend a good intoduction to C...

[Werner Schiendl]

Michael Hudson <mwh21 at cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:m3lmqibw0a.fsf at atrus.jesus.cam.ac.uk...
> "Werner Schiendl" <ws-news at gmx.at> writes:
>
> > Hi Laura,
> >
> > The only reason I can imagine at this point to go with plain C is that
there
> > are a lot more platforms that support C than do support C++. This is
mainly
> > a topic in embedded development and realtime platforms.
> [...]
> > Did I miss an important point?
>
> Sprinkle IMHO's throughout what follows.
>
> Yes, you're missing the fact that C++ sucks large rocks through very
> small straws.  There's some merit in learning C for when low-levelness
> is wanted, eg. when developing Python.  If you're writing an

I do not see the point, why not use C++ for low-levelness.
Years ago I had a lot of discussions why use C instead of Assembler.
The arguments were mainly for performance.
And still C made the race, guess why?
It is easier, more powerful, more safe (the compiler can catch more bugs
then the assembler)

> application, then you might think that C++ would be a good language to
> use.  You'd be wrong (FWIW, you'd be wrong to use C here, too).  Use a
> sane programming language like Python or Common Lisp (and if you use
> Python, then you can write portions in C - but leave the application
> logic out of it!).

If you have such an language AND your customer accepts that you use it you
are lucky.
Go with python or whatever you like.

Maybe I'm a bit influenced from my industrial programming background.
An RTOS or embedded µC usually doe not come with python or lisp or such.

But you always have C, and increasingly often C++.
And if this is the choice, I would take C++.

That's all I wanted say with my original post.
I would do an python extension for sure in C++ rather than in C.
The much more powerful libs rectify that on their own.

>
> One of my more recent additions to my sig collection is:
>
>   C++ is a siren song.  It *looks* like a HLL in which you ought to
>   be able to write an application, but it really isn't.
>                                        -- Alain Picard, comp.lang.lisp
>
> I hope everyone noticed the:
>
> Sprinkle IMHO's throughout what follows.
>
> at the top of this article.  My feelings for C++ oscillate between
> mild dislike and outright searing hatred - and I have programmed in
> it, I've formed my opinion on experience, and I think it sucks.  You
> may have a different opinion, but this is mine.
>

Of course your opinion is welcome!
I hope mine is as well...

> Cheers,
> M.
>
> --
>   There's a difference between random people with stripy jumpers, and
>   a respected scientist with a reputation.
>                                             -- Steve Kitson, ucam.chat

regards
werner