CompuServe Messages

I've always thought of C as a sort of "universal macro assembler". Its instructions are close enough to the metal of the machine that you think in terms of bytes and memory locations rather than virtual variables. My first exposure to C was after having finished a large project in macro assembler in which I had written some structures which were VERY similar to C (without knowing it!), thus enhancing the association. I usually label C as a "mid-level language" rather than a HLL because, although it has the structures of a HLL, it just doesn't "feel" like one to me. I have this theory that herein lies the reason that some folks love, and others hate, C. It almost seems as if those of us coming up from assembler and nuts and bolts love C because it feels very comfortable… just a step up from assembler. It further seems that most people coming at C from the other direction — Pascal, for example — find C familiar but distasteful. Take this with a grain of salt, because I have no evidence. Anyone caring to corroborate or disagree is welcome to comment. As far as your comments about trying to write real-time games and the like in C, agreed. Every application has an ideal language. Rick