Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!brl-tgr!ron From: ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie) Newsgroups: net.lang.pascal,net.lang.c Subject: Re: PASCAL as a system's programming language Message-ID: <7185@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Thu, 10-Jan-85 15:32:28 EST Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.7185 Posted: Thu Jan 10 15:32:28 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jan-85 07:39:12 EST References: <252@harvard.ARPA> <4881@utzoo.UUCP> Organization: Ballistic Research Lab Lines: 21 Xref: watmath net.lang.pascal:179 net.lang.c:3818 > > ... Unfortunately, 'C' can be adapted only with great difficulties > > to other architectures, like the Cyber 173, the DEC-20, &c. (not to be > > misunderstood, 'C' compilers for these machines exists, it is just that > > practically no program that Joe Random Hacker produces on a VAX will > > run on them unaltered). > > Actually, practically no program that Joe Random Hacker produces on a > VAX will run on a PDP11 unaltered... > -- > Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology > {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry Nobody ever claimed C guarantees that you will your code to portable, but only that it allows you to write portable code. The thing that makes C so appealing for system programming is that it allows you to break the rules. Systems Programmers do not necessarily want to do things in a portable or even structured manner. They should be of a level of skill that they know enough to be careful when using the questionable features of the language. -Ron