Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
From: ward@mondas.demon.co.uk (Peter Ward)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!yeshua.marcam.com!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!demon!mondas.demon.co.uk!ward
Subject: Re: Why do people like C? (Was: Comparison: Beta - Lisp)
References: <CxMpD2.525@rheged.dircon.co.uk> <782421305snz@wildcard.demon.co.uk>
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Date: Tue, 18 Oct 1994 05:58:51 +0000
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(This thread will probably never end, but I can't prove it.)

I program professionally in C++ and, yes, I think it a terrible
language. It is hard to believe that it was _designed_.

Having said that, I can knock out (for example) simple file filters
in no time. At this level it seems fine -- don't even need to
open files, just stream in a few bytes, do something and stream
'em out again.

Recently I was playing with some crossword-like logic puzzles in
the Sunday paper and wanted to work out a reasonable algorithm.
I started to sketch out the data structures in C++ but the language
overhead was swamping my thinking.

I had recently ftp'd CLISP and thought I'd give it a try. I had
a quick and dirty solution coded in an afternoon because I could
focus on the problem. Sure, I had to fit my data into lists, but
then I have powerful manipulation routines at my disposal.

Having not written any Lisp since college some 15 years ago, my
program was not valid Common Lisp. So this took about 30mins to
fix. My C++ version never got further than the first typedef.

The program runs like sh*t off a blanket. I can optimise it, and
would do so by looking at the _algorithm_ first, then the 
implementation. Actually it runs Ok if compiled but I just cant
leave things alone!

I have studied or worked with Cobol, Fortran, Algol 60+68,
BCPL, Lisp, C, C++, Actor, Smalltalk, Basic, Assemblers, Miranda. 
I find the more exposure I have to different approaches, the
more flexible my thought processes become. I like Lisp because
it is simple. Maybe I am too. Fine.
-- 

Pete Ward                   I know it's irrational but at times
Mondas IT Ltd               of stress I take great comfort from
                            the belief that somewhere out there
                            there really is a free lunch.
