> not get bogged down in pointer hell No one should get bogged down in pointer hell. I program C for real work all the time, and I teach it to undergrads, and

> not get bogged down in pointer hell No one should get bogged down in pointer hell. I program C for real work all the time, and I teach it to undergrads, and we use pointers carefully and with awareness. We don't do arithmetic or other 'clever' stuff. And we don't get bogged down in pointer hell. Why do we teach it to undergrads? Among other reasons, because trying to teach OS or compilers to students who don't get pointers or any other low-level stuff is miserable.