Re: Fun with C

["Elias Salomão Helou Neto" <eshneto@gmail.com>]

On Apr 17, 1:15 pm, KK6GM <mjsi...@scriptoriumdesigns.com> wrote:
> On Apr 16, 11:59 pm, Georg Bauhaus <rm.dash-bauh...@futureapps.de>
> wrote:
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> > On 4/17/11 8:26 AM, KK6GM wrote:
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> > > Wow and wow.  I've been writing C all my adult life and I didn't
> > > realize this could or would happen.  I would have said that the
> > > unsigned would be promoted to signed.
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> > > I'm going to include this example in my push to use Ada in our next
> > > project.
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> > Be careful that there are no C savvy people around.
> > You are demonstrating a lack of understanding of C basics!
> > ("Stupid!")
> > That lack is not (in their view, and it's their view that counts)
> > a good start for asking for a different language.
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> > Had you read section 2.7 of K&R (or A.6), you'd have expected
> > the result you got: arithmetic operators will convert their
> > arguments following the rules of the C language definition.
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> Yes, I understand how the "stupid" argument works in the C community.
> I'm going to ask some other programmers tomorrow and see how many of
> them get this right.  I'm guessing our situation will be similar to
> the situation at the OP's workplace, where presumably competent
> programmers still got clobbered by this language-legal insanity.

Most programmers are competent in their views. Few really are and it
does not matter what is the actual language. For example, looks like
you feel you are competent in C, but are you?

"I would expect unsigned to int conversion" is just unacceptable!
Someone has written a line of code without knowing what it does. Is it
a language problem? Not that C is spectacular, but blaming the
language here is not fair. Minimally competent C programmers do know
about such conversions. If you don't you suck as a C programmer. If
you suck as a C programmer, please do not try to advocate any other
language over it, this _is_ stupid!

Maybe Ada over C is a smart choice, but advocating it without having a
strong knowledge of both is unacceptable.