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Comment by abetusk | Hacker News Reader

This smacks of forgetfulness. I wonder what the age is of the OP.

As others have pointed out, *nix systems (Linux in particular) are rife with DSLs. Not just C but (c|ba|k|tc|z)sh, sed, awk, grep, to name a few. Each of these tools has it's own mini DSL, some more complicated than others, that can than be composed to with other tools, using their own DSLs to manage tasks (e.g. operating system tasks).

Even the task of creating DSLs has many DSLs attached to it (lex, yacc, etc.).

Programs that get used and become popular introduce their own DSLs, often times. Apache, NGinx, etc. all have config files that each have their own special sauce of DSL for their own tasks.

Even many of the newer systems like Docker, Kubernetes, etc. have config files/DSLs to manage them.

I'm sure I'm forgetting even more.

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Is your hypothesis that the OP has already forgotten more than you ever knew, or that they are too young to know much? Regardless, I can tell you that the OP has worked on (meaning deep in the guts of the OS, but not for the 'manufacturer'), a dozen OSs that they can recall off the top of their head. They were written in one of several different BAL-like assemblers and assembler macro languages, MACRO-10, PDP8, 11, and VAX assemblers, two different Lisps, several 68* assemblers, and C. So, probably the former interpretation is more likely correct.

My hypothesis is that we have a collective knowledge that we tend to forget and that the new generation often doesn't understand, or takes for granted, the foundations of the infrastructure we use and sometimes tries to apply concepts they've just learned without understanding the subtlety and complexity of the ecosystem as it exists. This tends to happen with younger people which is why I was asking the age of the OP.

You being the OP that you're referring to yourself in the third person? And you're trying to insinuate that I'm an idiot criticizing an expert? It'd be nice to say so instead of saying this so obliquely. I've insulted you. Sorry. I was and am arguing in good faith. Please show me the same courtesy.

It's great that you worked on all these assemblers, macro languages and operating systems but I stand by my point. There are many DSLs in and around "operating systems" that you've failed to identify.

Maybe the crux of disagreement is that you have in mind a particular type of DSL for a tranche of operating system engineering that you haven't properly articulated. Considering your oblique insult and response, I would guess this is the case.

I’m sorry. I was not trying to insinuate that you are an idiot. I was trying (and failing) to be funny.

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