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koolba

If Python is the king, C is the court jester juggling knives.

Done well it looks amazing, elegant, and efficient, but in the wrong hands you'll lose your hands.

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There's a great book title that plays off this idea:

"Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming" [0]

It's also perhaps the best mixed metaphor I've ever encountered.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Rope-Shoot-Yourself-Foot/dp/00...

I said this by accident in a meeting one time and everyone got a good laugh from it. Must have got it from this book unconsciously.

While I applaud Python to have established a well-designed[1] layer on top of the math/numeric libraries written in Fortran, C and C++, I hope that one day Rust will smoothen the corners.

While Rust might not become a replacement for the Python layer, it may replace the C/C++/Fortran layer with all their speed and low-level optimization, yet provide good (and especially safe!) abstractions on top of that.

Currently, people try to use C++ to fill that gap, but I'd love to see Rust's type system, borrow checker and macro system, instead of C++ templates.

[1] As opposed to Mathematica, MatLab, etc.

It also forces you to know what's happening under the hood though. If learning the material comprehensively is your goal I think it's not a bad idea to dig in to a c implementation.

At this point, I would recommend Rust for the "under the hood" part, while forcing you to write safer code.

Probably a good idea!

Where is javascript in this medieval court?

Shoveling horse shit in the stables.

Javascript is the kitchen hand that you taught how to chop vegetables. Yesterday you asked him to chop wood, and you've spent all of today trying to figure out why your kitchen knives are dull.

JavaScript is the archbishop, evangelizing the holy trinity of React, Node.js and MongoDB.

I think you meant React, Node, Vue, Vanilla, Backbone, Angular, [trails off]

Top 1000 javascript libraries of 2016: a year-end roundup

They change often enough that it would be better to create the list on a monthly basis.

They're the lesser gods and demons (often swapping places) of the pantheon.

Somewhat appropriate, as nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

At least one of those would be on the receiving end of any technology holy war.

Something necessary but evil.

I am slowly working my way through CS50 on EDX and its an interesting experience doing an intro to CS type course in C for sure.

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