CompuServe Messages

I would slightly amend your statements: The news is that *any high level language* is _already_ … … is great for structured programming but when you need to do "fiddly" things, *assembly* is definitely the language of choice. C allows *the same kind as assembly of* integration of modules … Aesthetically, and functionally, I compare languages to architectural styles. C is early Gothic, fairly straightforward and works well for a limited type of structure. C++ is late Gothic with many flying buttresses trying to hold up more difficult structures. Pascal is Louis Sullivan, less ornamental, but uses steel for a dramatic increase in the complexity of what it can do. Ada is Bauhaus, similar to its predecessor, but more comfortable in using the newer techniques. (I've done C for 10 years and Ada for 5 and haven't found anything in C that isn't easier in Ada or Ada plus assembly. And many things that are simple in Ada that are a real pain in C.)