Brian Hansen wrote: ... > I can't help wonder, why so much software are being developed using C. ... Because no one has done anything other than TALK about an alternative.
People who talk, like alternatives. People who program seem to like C. Bringing up a general purpose OS on another language is going to be a major task, but if it is going to happen, people need to quit suggesting what other people do and start doing it and PROVE it is better by results, not talk. (hint: self-supporting OS on multiple different platforms, from amd64 to Zaurus. Self-supporting.) When you actually attempt this, you will probably find out: 1) It's a heck of a lot of work. 2) It's the people (programmers and management) that make an OS secure, not one tool. 3) why people write in C. 4) OpenBSD written in C is more secure, more stable, and more right than your alternative. You can do stupid stuff in C. You can do stupid stuff in any language. By lowering the bar and letting people think they are incapable of writing bad software, you will get entirely predictable results. There are things that can (and have!) been done to improve C, see the strl* functions for an example. But ultimately, people who write bad software will do it on any platform, with any set of tools. Make it easier, you just get more bad software. Nick.
