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pjmlp | on: To Save C, We Must Save ABI (2022)
Many do, contrary to what many C advocates talk about.

Apparently reducing the language to what is in the spec is only a thing when talking about C and to some extent C++.

When other languages have compiler specific extensions beyond the spec, it is a failure in their design.

Yet when C and C++ devs have to reach out to compiler specific extensions, it is not a design failure like it is pointed out to others, rather an advantage.

It is also wrong to not apply the same measure when it doesn't suit the message.

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jstimpfle | parent | next
_You_ do that. All the time. And then you fight these strawmans.
pjmlp | root | parent
And you reply to that all the time with the C bias as well, oh well.
uecker | parent | next
Lot of stawman arguments.
embedding-shape | root | parent | next
Wouldn't be a authentic pjmlp comment unless they shit on C/C++ and/or praise Java/.NET with a bunch of straw-men :)
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pjmlp | root | parent
Really?! That is how many in C circles, including your regular comments to my comments happen to be like.

Two measures two weights, in C versus other systems languages.

uecker | root | parent | next
Maybe provide a concrete example instead of making vague accusations. Or rather, please not, it is not a useful discourse. A productive response to my comment would be an insightful explanation of how byte-level access to memory objects is done in other languages.
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sylware | parent
"When other languages have compiler specific extensions beyond the spec, it is a failure in their design."

This one of the failures of Linus T. with the linux kernel: he was not able to keep the assembly source code with plain and simple C code you can compile with a small and alternative C compiler (same failure for the glibc devs I think).

I don't blame him, he is already keeping the linux ABI stable, and pulling that off is something.

jstimpfle | root | parent
Many other languages only have one compiler available to start with.

Each additional compiler supported by a project means variance in functionality and thus additional work for the project. That work could make the codebase more robust. Or it could be a ton of useless work. Or anything in between. Depends on the context of the project.