18 Nov
2024
18 Nov
'24
10:52 p.m.
At 2024-11-18T14:55:55-0000, Anton Shepelev wrote:
Yes, big money makes things strive not for excellence
but for
accessibility and a low, if not negative, entry threshold.
I think that's an overgeneralization.
The Ada language, for example, drew much wariness and even criticism for
being funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, probably the most
profligate spender in the history of mankind,[1] and at the same time
was condemned for being too hard a language to grasp (too "big") and too
hard to write a compiler for.
Further, I would argue that Ada was indeed an excellent language,
certainly for its time and arguably still. But it was not easy to
acquire by programmers who took an absolutely slovenly attitude toward
data type discipline, a characterization that fits many pre-ANSI C
programmers perfectly.
Perhaps those who learn how to manage data types using C as their first
language suffer irrevocable brain damage, and are fit subjects for pity
and mockery. You won't find _that_ opinion in the Jargon File.
Regards,
Branden
[1]
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/19/997961646/the-pentagon-has-never-passed-an-a…