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Knowing your tools and compiler switches is key. The reward is that the final production code can be very lean and performant, without any runtime penalties to
by bluetomcat 10y ago
Knowing your tools and compiler switches is key. The reward is that the final production code can be very lean and performant, without any runtime penalties to provide safety.
Most people who complain about the dangers of C probably have used it in an unprofessional setting without any additional tooling. It's a bit like saying that all RWD cars are dangerous just because you've once driven a '92 BMW, disregarding any technological advancements since.
- pcwalton 10y ago> Most people who complain about the dangers of C probably have used it in an unprofessional setting without any additional tooling. It's a bit like saying that all RWD cars are dangerous just because you've once driven a '92 BMW, disregarding any technological advancements since. Actually, most of the people I know who think C is a problem that needs fixing are longtime professional compiler developers and people who work on security critical codebases. In fact, I don't know any compiler engineers who don't have serious reservations about C and C++. Those people know more about tooling and instrumentation than virtually anybody. It's precisely that knowledge that leads one rapidly to the conclusion that there are serious flaws in C for secure software that can't just be papered over with tooling. It's usually C++ enthusiasts who are the ones trying (unsuccessfully, IMO) to argue that undefined behavior isn't a problem in practice.