>> That C and not assembler ought to be the target language, no matter >> the application. That assembler is deprecated in favour of C. > > If that ever comes to pass, I'm going back to a wire-wrap tool. > I don't see why. I did post the sum-total of assembler coding in the Plan 9 source directory, libraries and kernel code excluded. Has that sent you back to the wire-wrap tool yet?
Nobody said that C had to be the highest common denominator, only that it should be the lowest, instead of asm. > There *can be no* one-size fits-all final answers unless and until all > progress > is to be called off and stagnation and decline to the death are mandated from > on-high. > That is a view from an uncommon position. It so happens that our brain can "evolve" much more rapidly than any other organism, with mutations occurring on a very small timescale. But that perspective is unique to that particular condition. And one can philosophise on how useful this continuous mutation really is. > Not even for biologicals with billion+ year history. > Ever wondered how old the nearest amoeba is? From his point of view, we're just a passing phase :-) > 'adapt or die' may have long cycle, but it is an unforgiving one. As you go higher in evolutionary complexity, this becomes more important, but it's an artifact, not a natural principle. It stems from organic complexity that is more dependent on active conditions. The ability to deal with environmental change without need to mutate seems to me to be more powerful than the ability to mutate at the slightest whim. C is one such paradigm. Consider that early versions of Windows (up to 3.1, perhaps) were written in Pascal; at the time that was Microsoft's bet for the future. C took over from Pascal and only Microsoft can document the pain and gain of moving to it. That C is still around today, one dares say _despite_ interference from various well-meaning committees, speaks volume to the genius of its inventors. I don't think it was blind luck, I think it was genius. That something may eventually supersede C is unarguable, but I think it will take a very large paradigm shift to make that possible or necessary. ++L
