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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Re: fast code and no morals
Message-ID: <6365@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Feb-86 16:39:16 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.6365
Posted: Wed Feb  5 16:39:16 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Feb-86 16:39:16 EST
References: <842@megaron.UUCP> <1820@brl-tgr.ARPA> <68@valid.UUCP> <651@brl-smoke.ARPA> <366@ccivax.UUCP>, <231@Re: Re: fast code and no morWed, 5-Feb-86 16:39:16 EST
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 20

> > Assembler isn't portable, C is. ...
> 
> "C" is as portable as Stonehedge!!  At least assembler languages don't
> pretend to be portable.  You know that there is work to go from system to
> system.  The "security" of porting with "C" is the killer - the insidious
> differences between implementations can kill you because you don't expect
> them and can't plan well for them.

How curious.  At U of T we routinely move C code among half a dozen or so
different processors (more than that if you count different C compilers
for things like the 68000).  Compile it and it runs.

C's portability is more than just pretense.  Of course, you have to know
what you're doing when you write the code.  There is *no* "security" in
porting with C; it is easy to write unportable C, and writing portable
C takes knowledge, care, and attention.  Once you get used to it, it's
not hard.  We can and do plan for the aspects that vary between machines.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry