C is 50 years old, and deliberately kept smalm as a KISS language (unlike the almost-as-old nowadays-bloated C++).
There's simply not a lot happening to it - apart from being part of the root causes to 50% of all security vulnerabilities.
Although Gcc and the Linux kernel do have some 50 MLoC, noone would nowadays embark on writing such a large system using C from scratch.
Today, Java, C# or Rust would be much better choices for any large system. Heck, even C++ (with proper use of a selected sub-set of its features) would be a step up.
Dont get me wrong; I've been doing embedded development using C and C++ for a living for the last 25+ years. But, I'm learning Rust, and I love it, hoping it will take C's place and being a serious contender to Java, C# and even python for the use-cases where it would make sense.
Surely, getting a program through the compiler is much harder, but afterwards, it just works. I would suggest all seasoned C developers to give Rust a serious shot.
I agree with several points you made — Rust is indeed a powerful language, and I also use it in my projects. Its safety guarantees and modern tooling make it an excellent choice for many use cases.
That said, I think C still has a unique value, especially when you need full control over memory, binaries, and platform-specific behavior. It's minimal, with no hidden abstractions or magic — what you write is what you get. And that simplicity can be a feature, not a flaw.
C isn't always the right choice for large modern systems anymore, sure — but for certain domains like embedded, retro-style tooling, or bare-metal performance, it still shines. Plus, it's a great language to understand how things really work under the hood.
I see C and Rust not as enemies, but as tools with overlapping goals and different trade-offs. I use both — C when I want ultimate control, Rust when I want safety with fewer footguns.
C is boring technology. Occasion to make the news are rare. I hack things in C when some tools I use crash or is missing features. Or to learn how somethings work.
Just like if you want some basic HTML form attached to a database that's guaranteed to run everywhere, you write in PHP, if you want a simple Linux (and BSD) cli app, you write it in C. Both are dangerous tech (as in no guardrails), but you'll be set for decades with minimal maintenance.
The C programming language, on the contrary, is interesting if you have experience. I always create new things that have different uniquenesses. I recently created a notes program for Windows with GUI in C language, 67kb in size.
The C language offers many features that even surpass modern languages.
> I didn't see anyone mentioning the C programming language
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29591993
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43632645
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38632970
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16967675
and many more ...
C is 50 years old, and deliberately kept smalm as a KISS language (unlike the almost-as-old nowadays-bloated C++).
There's simply not a lot happening to it - apart from being part of the root causes to 50% of all security vulnerabilities.
Although Gcc and the Linux kernel do have some 50 MLoC, noone would nowadays embark on writing such a large system using C from scratch.
Today, Java, C# or Rust would be much better choices for any large system. Heck, even C++ (with proper use of a selected sub-set of its features) would be a step up.
Dont get me wrong; I've been doing embedded development using C and C++ for a living for the last 25+ years. But, I'm learning Rust, and I love it, hoping it will take C's place and being a serious contender to Java, C# and even python for the use-cases where it would make sense.
Surely, getting a program through the compiler is much harder, but afterwards, it just works. I would suggest all seasoned C developers to give Rust a serious shot.
I agree with several points you made — Rust is indeed a powerful language, and I also use it in my projects. Its safety guarantees and modern tooling make it an excellent choice for many use cases.
That said, I think C still has a unique value, especially when you need full control over memory, binaries, and platform-specific behavior. It's minimal, with no hidden abstractions or magic — what you write is what you get. And that simplicity can be a feature, not a flaw.
C isn't always the right choice for large modern systems anymore, sure — but for certain domains like embedded, retro-style tooling, or bare-metal performance, it still shines. Plus, it's a great language to understand how things really work under the hood.
I see C and Rust not as enemies, but as tools with overlapping goals and different trade-offs. I use both — C when I want ultimate control, Rust when I want safety with fewer footguns.
C is boring technology. Occasion to make the news are rare. I hack things in C when some tools I use crash or is missing features. Or to learn how somethings work.
Just like if you want some basic HTML form attached to a database that's guaranteed to run everywhere, you write in PHP, if you want a simple Linux (and BSD) cli app, you write it in C. Both are dangerous tech (as in no guardrails), but you'll be set for decades with minimal maintenance.
The C programming language, on the contrary, is interesting if you have experience. I always create new things that have different uniquenesses. I recently created a notes program for Windows with GUI in C language, 67kb in size.
The C language offers many features that even surpass modern languages.
Many people still use C, I do for sure
Are you using it for embedded systems or regular software?
Regular software: a lisp implementation (https://savannah.nongnu.org/p/alisp) and a little online game (https://github.com/andreamonaco/zombieland)
Wow bro, that's cool, I especially liked the game, it's cool, and I'm currently developing a utility for viewing photos right in the terminal.
https://github.com/Ferki-git-creator/phono-in-terminal-image...
It's not ready yet, but can you please support it with a star like I did for you?