8/12/2019 From Linus - About C and Cpp

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From: Linus Torvalds

Subject: Re: [RF! onvert builin-mailinfo.c to use T"e #etter String Librar$.

%e&sgrou's: gmane.com'.version-control.git

(ate: )**+-*,-* +:/*:)0 12T 3 $ears4 5 &ee6s4 7 da$s and // minutes ago8

On Wed, 5 Sep 2007, Dmitry Kakurin wrote:>

> When I first ooked at !it sour"e "ode two thin#s stru"k me as odd:

> $% &ure ' as opposed to '((% )o idea why% &ease don*t tak a+out

porta+iity,

> it*s S%

*YOU*are fu of +ushit%

'(( is a horri+e an#ua#e% It*s made more horri+e +y the fa"t that a ot

of su+standard pro#rammers use it, to the point where it*s mu"h mu"h

easier to #enerate tota and utter "rap with it% -uite franky, e.en if

the "hoi"e of ' were to do *nothing*+ut keep the '(( pro#rammers out,

that in itsef woud +e a hu#e reason to use '%

In other words: the "hoi"e of ' is the ony sane "hoi"e% I know /ies

ader okin#y said 1to piss you off1, +ut it*s a"tuay true% I*.e "ome

to the "on"usion that any pro#rammer that woud prefer the proe"t to +e

in '(( o.er ' is ikey a pro#rammer that I reay *would*prefer to piss

off, so that he doesn*t "ome and s"rew up any proe"t I*m in.o.ed with%

'(( eads to reay reay +ad desi#n "hoi"es% ou in.aria+y start usin#

the 1ni"e1 i+rary features of the an#ua#e ike S34 and oost and other

tota and utter "rap, that may 1hep1 you pro#ram, +ut "auses:

infinite amounts of pain when they don*t work 6and any+ody who tes me

that S34 and espe"iay oost are sta+e and porta+e is ust so fu

of S that it*s not e.en funny

ineffi"ient a+stra"ted pro#rammin# modes where two years down the road

you noti"e that some a+stra"tion wasn*t .ery effi"ient, +ut now a

your "ode depends on a the ni"e o+e"t modes around it, and you

"annot fi8 it without rewritin# your app%

In other words, the ony way to do #ood, effi"ient, and systeme.e and

porta+e '(( ends up to imit yoursef to a the thin#s that are

+asi"ay a.aia+e in '% 9nd imitin# your proe"t to ' means that peope

don*t s"rew that up, and aso means that you #et a ot of pro#rammers that

do a"tuay understand owe.e issues and don*t s"rew thin#s up with any

idioti" 1o+e"t mode1 "rap%

So I*m sorry, +ut for somethin# ike #it, where effi"ien"y was a primary

o+e"ti.e, the 1ad.anta#es1 of '(( is ust a hu#e mistake% 3he fa"t that

we aso piss off peope who "annot see that is ust a +i# additiona

ad.anta#e%

If you want a 'S that is written in '((, #o pay with /onotone% ;eay%

3hey use a 1rea data+ase1% 3hey use 1ni"e o+e"toriented i+raries1%

3hey use 1ni"e '(( a+stra"tions1% 9nd