On Sat, 4 Jul 2009, Gerhard Fiedler wrote:

> sergio masci wrote:
> 
> >> Even if you take this as a excuse for why C was so poorly designed,
> >> it still doesn't excuse its widespread use today.  C got popular
> >> because it tagged along with Unix and for other marketing reasons
> >> like that compilers were available cheaply or freely.
> > 
> > Don't be so dismissive of that tiny little word "free". It tends to
> > be a VERY powerful incentive.
> 
> Besides, there usually is a reason why something is free. As there is no
> such thing as a free lunch, /somebody/ paid for it -- and had a reason
> to pay for it. And if something similar isn't free, it's usually because
> of the lack of such "somebodies" that pay for something to be free.
> Again, there is usually a reason.
> 
> Also, when I started programming, neither the C compilers nor the Pascal
> compilers I used were free. IIRC, Turbo Pascal was among the least
> expensive ones, and that's what most people I knew used. They stopped
> using it, mainly because it was a one-vendor thing which didn't give it
> much of a future.

I remember that a BCPL compiler could be got for free before the PC became 
available if you implemented the O-code interpreter for your machine 
yourself. I remember one lecturer doing this for a CTL MOD 1.

Maybe the C and PASCAL compilers you used were not free but I'll bet you 
probably knew someone that could have let you have an evaluation copy at 
that time ;-) I'm convinced there were a great many evaluation copies 
around at that time.

> 
> 
> >> Even if we accept all the above and understand C is required for some
> >> new projects only because it is already popular, what is missing is
> >> the outcry of users demanding something better.
> > 
> > I've seem users "demanding" something better. I've even seen users
> > demanding to use better C compilers than the one currently being
> > used. My experience: it's like farting in a hurricane!
> 
> I agree :)  Especially if there isn't a common idea of something better.
> Demanding may be efficient for kings; "normal" people need really to do
> something else to get somewhere.

You name it I've seen "'normal' people" people try it. When the "pointy 
haired boss" has decided "you are going to do it this way" about the only 
thing that's going to change his mind is a head transplant :-)

Friendly Regards
Sergio Masci
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