C out of its comfort zone - Re: Structured Fortran - was Re: Self modifying code

[Toby Thain]

On 2015-09-22 10:25 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
> On 09/22/2015 07:11 PM, Jay Jaeger wrote:
>
>> There is a big difference between "can run" and "does run".  I'd
>> wager that C *can* run on anything one could use for any reasonably
>> useful FORTRAN (thus excluding things like the IBM 1410 card oriented
>> FORTRAN compiler, though I am aware of an effort to develop a small C
>> subset compiler for the 1401).
>>
>> The assertion that C was "nothing more than a bare step up from
>> assembly" is just that.  An assertion.  One with which I disagree
>> pretty firmly.
>
> We've been here before and I don't care to chew already masticated cud.
>   Suffice it to say, that I've never seen a C for a non-binary,
> variable-word-length machine using 6-bit characters.  I've seen plenty
> of FORTRANs for such an architecture, however.

You are correct. C, as it is defined, does *not* comfortably map to all 
architectures by any means.

It did exist for some exotic, word addressed architectures (something I 
remember Chris Torek writing a lot about on Usenet), but it isn't at 
home there, and it's pretty easy to push C out of its sweet spot.

--Toby

>
> --Chuck
>
>