reggie@dinsdale.nm.paradyne.com (George W. Leach) (03/06/90)
In article <CT.1E53xds13@ficc.uu.net> peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: >C happens to be the most popular language on a wide range of hardware, >Thus, simply by statistics one could predict that a large number of >programs written in C are likely to contain major bugs. There are a >large number of programs written in C, period. True. Tools are designed with a certain user in mind. Tools that professionals use have less safety features on them than do tools for home use. Often this is because the professional requires greater flexibility in the tool in order to maintain a high level of productivity on the job. It is also assumed that the professional is a highly skilled and well trained individual in the craft in which s/he is involved in. Knowing how to properly use the tools of one's craft is part of this. At home, the amateur or hobbiest does not have the time or need to develop skills to same degree as a professional. Thus the tradeoff is made: flexibility for increased safety. Often safety features only get in the way of the professional who knows how to handle the tools. Obviously there are safety features which are absolutely necessary and can not be done away with. C (and C++) is a professional's tool, developed by and for professionals. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of the language (as was pointed out in the above posting) we have many non-professionals using this tool. So do we blame the tool or the manufacturer of the tool? Do we water down the tool and make it less useful for the professional? This is not a simple yes or no answer. One must recognize the fact that this profession is filled with people who come from all sorts of backgrounds and have all sorts of skill levels. However, for those who have the proper background and training it would be a disservice to take the power of the tool out of their hands. The answer is to do a better job of training the users of the tools. Unfortunately, as long as the denabd for programmers exceeds the supply and companies are willing to hire amateurs to do a professional's job, we will have the same situation. Would you trust someone to build a bridge, whose only exposure to the subject area is from being a bricklayer for a year? George George W. Leach AT&T Paradyne (uunet|att)!pdn!reggie Mail stop LG-133 Phone: 1-813-530-2376 P.O. Box 2826 FAX: 1-813-530-8224 Largo, FL 34649-2826 USA