3 ms·

Ask HN: Are there many C developers here?

12 points by Forgret 1y ago

sim7c00 1y ago
very likely. what is the objective of your question?
- Forgret 1y ago
  I see that there are a lot of posts about frontend, AI, and other programming languages, especially Rust, so I wanted to know if there are still active C programmers here and what they might be doing right now?
DamonHD 1y ago
C (and C++) when needed.
LouDNL 1y ago
As a hobby more C and embedded C then C++, but yeah! Clojure day job.
jleyank 1y ago
While it’s not sexy, I suspect there’s still a whole lot of silicon being melted using C, C++ and whatever Fortran is called now. Lots of simulations are accessible now and much of the calculation logic can be parallelized. Remember, if you manage to get a drug to market 3 months earlier, you can make billions. And if you get a hit on something like Alzheimer’s, you’ll need 64-bit to count that high. Ozempic distorted the Danish economy and it’s passed by follow-ons.
khedoros1 1y ago
C++ mostly, but parts of the codebase are in C, and I have to dip into it now and then. I'm certainly more comfortable in C than in webdev or Rust (although I wouldn't mind picking up some Rust).
beardyw 1y ago
There is a surprising depth of knowledge on a lot of subjects on HN, C included.
iExploder 1y ago
Not many, but there are some who remain I would say. C and C++ is not going anywhere in embedded. No need too press F just yet.
- Forgret 1y ago
  I'm afraid that Rust will replace C/C++ in everything.
  - cpach 1y ago
    In theory it could happen, but even so it would take years. There’s just so much C code out there. Stuff like Linux, Nginx, Apache, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, QEMU, etc etc.
  - ActorNightly 1y ago
    Absolutely not. C has the advantage of being an extremely small language in terms of syntax, which means its incredibly easy to port it to any architecture. Whenever you build a chip and want to program it, writing an LLVM backend for it with optimizations is almost trivial (assuming you understand the core concepts). Rust has a lot more things to consider in the compiler, which leads to slow adoption, and also its more cumbersome to program in.
bjourne 1y ago
None
dapperdrake 1y ago
printf("Yes.");

12 points by Forgret 1y ago

sim7c00 1y ago

very likely. what is the objective of your question?

Forgret 1y ago
I see that there are a lot of posts about frontend, AI, and other programming languages, especially Rust, so I wanted to know if there are still active C programmers here and what they might be doing right now?

DamonHD 1y ago

C (and C++) when needed.

LouDNL 1y ago

As a hobby more C and embedded C then C++, but yeah! Clojure day job.

jleyank 1y ago

While it’s not sexy, I suspect there’s still a whole lot of silicon being melted using C, C++ and whatever Fortran is called now. Lots of simulations are accessible now and much of the calculation logic can be parallelized. Remember, if you manage to get a drug to market 3 months earlier, you can make billions. And if you get a hit on something like Alzheimer’s, you’ll need 64-bit to count that high. Ozempic distorted the Danish economy and it’s passed by follow-ons.

khedoros1 1y ago

C++ mostly, but parts of the codebase are in C, and I have to dip into it now and then. I'm certainly more comfortable in C than in webdev or Rust (although I wouldn't mind picking up some Rust).

beardyw 1y ago

There is a surprising depth of knowledge on a lot of subjects on HN, C included.

iExploder 1y ago

Not many, but there are some who remain I would say. C and C++ is not going anywhere in embedded. No need too press F just yet.

Forgret 1y ago
I'm afraid that Rust will replace C/C++ in everything.
- cpach 1y ago
  In theory it could happen, but even so it would take years. There’s just so much C code out there. Stuff like Linux, Nginx, Apache, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, QEMU, etc etc.
- ActorNightly 1y ago
  Absolutely not. C has the advantage of being an extremely small language in terms of syntax, which means its incredibly easy to port it to any architecture. Whenever you build a chip and want to program it, writing an LLVM backend for it with optimizations is almost trivial (assuming you understand the core concepts). Rust has a lot more things to consider in the compiler, which leads to slow adoption, and also its more cumbersome to program in.

bjourne 1y ago

None

dapperdrake 1y ago

printf("Yes.");