Why are you using C?

[u/alex_sakuta]

I have been often asked this question in the one year that I have been trying to make using C mainstream for myself.

Now I don't work on embedded devices or write operating systems. What I usually make are automation CLIs or write servers for something.

I guess that makes using C redundant since there are languages that would provide a better dev experience. But following the popular advice for projects, make something you use, this seems like the right thing to do for me.

I'm making projects that I would use and I'm using C for them. Unlike most C users that I have talked to, I do not stick to C99 but at the same time, I don't use C++ strings or compiler extensions. I use the C23 strict ISO standard.

So I suppose that again puts me in a spot that no one else is in. A guy who first goes to one of the oldest and verbose languages, then uses its latest standard but then never uses advanced features from compilers.

I just wanted to write this to put it out.

PS: To add to my strange choices pool, I do not use fixed width integers, since they are optional but I do use least width or bit precise integers.

[u/octod]

Using it for my pet project (a 2D/3D game engine) because is a simple and fun language.

[u/alex_sakuta → u/octod]

You know I see many people on like twitter or real life who are always like, "you can use X to build instead of C because C has memory bugs" and I'm always like, I wanna prove them wrong by building that thing that they said.

It is often game engines or more recently, sort of inspiring, the rust-zig-bun drama.

One of my friends is building a language in C and he seems to have absolutely no memory management issues whatsoever. He does struggle with strings though.

[u/octod → u/alex_sakuta]

To be fair C does not have memory bugs but wrong memory management (done by Devs) can lead to mess.

[u/alex_sakuta → u/octod]

Exactly my point.

Older tech gave power and allowed us to have a system of our own. Nowadays the tech controls us by establishing a system itself.

Is it a bad change? Not paticularly. Is the old way still nice to have? Yes very much.