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Alternative to C, C++? [closed]

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c++

c

All,

There are so many programming languages/Operating systems/device drivers i.e. softwares that are built using C and C++. I was wondering if C and C++ were the only 2 low level programming languages that all companies ever had to build their own product(s)? If there are, why do C and C++ get so much preference over other options?

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name_masked Avatar asked Nov 05 '10 23:11

name_masked

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2 Answers

There are many "medium-level" languages suitable for OS development, but C and to a lesser extent C++ are by far the most popular. There are many reasons for this, including:

  • The early success of C as the implementation of Unix led to its widespread adoption.

  • The vast availability of great development tools (compilers, lint, editors, memory leak analysis, profiles, code generators, ad nauseam) makes C even more compelling.

  • The closeness of C to the "abstract machine" level; unlike, say, Pascal, which has considerably more runtime overhead. This is desirable when writing high performance software. C has sometimes been called a "portable assembler" for its closeness to the hardware.

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John Källén Avatar answered Oct 21 '22 05:10

John Källén

Forth is sometimes used for developing low level software like device drivers. For example the boot prom for SUN SPARC based servers used to be written in Forth. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Firmware for details.

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corriganjc Avatar answered Oct 21 '22 04:10

corriganjc
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