mirsadraSep 4, 2025

- #Python is written in C
- #Perl is written in C
- #Ruby is written in C
- #PHP is written in C
- #JavaScript engines started in C, now mostly in C++
- #Go was first in C, now written in Go itself
- #C++ compilers are written in C++
- #Swift is built with C++ and Swift (on LLVM in C++)
- #C# runs on .NET, built in C++/C#
- #JVM (HotSpot) is written in C++

Yet, people still doubt the necessity of learning C!

Show threadTanguy ⧓ Herrmann

@mirsadra I would argue that not everybody need to create or participate in those language compilers.
The compiler is just a tool to create software that should improve life.

So if you're building a web app in perl that allows to save lives in whatever context, I don't care that you didn't know C enough, you did a good job to help your fellow living beings.

Otherwise, you can add that TypeScript is being rewritten from TypeScript to Go.

And a bunch of languages have been written in Go as well (they are less known, for sure)

Sep 5, 2025 at 1:01amWeb
Show threadmirsadraSep 5, 2025
@dolanor You are 100% correct, and this is the most important point. The ultimate goal of any tool is to solve human problems and improve lives. A life-saving Perl web app is infinitely more valuable than a perfectly optimised "hello world" in C.
Show threadmirsadraSep 5, 2025
@dolanor My argument was never that everyone must know C to be a good developer. It's that understanding C is one of the best ways to understand the how and why of the tools we use. It's about depth of knowledge, not a prerequisite for making a positive impact. You can be a brilliant doctor without knowing how to synthesise penicillin, but the knowledge of how it works makes you even better. Isn't it?