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  3. I love C where types are basically a suggestion rather than a rule

I love C where types are basically a suggestion rather than a rule

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  • H honey the codewitch

    The cast operator is why I can cast my struct directly to an "array" of bytes and stash it in a file. It makes me happy. It's so elegant. So concise. And so dangerous.

    Real programmers use butterflies

    S Offline
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    Super Lloyd
    wrote on last edited by
    #35

    the file is also not compatible between architecture to the next! :( i.e. endianess for sure.. but probably computer struct paddings too! :/ though haven't used C in decades, so I am not so sure about that one...

    A new .NET Serializer All in one Menu-Ribbon Bar Taking over the world since 1371!

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    • S Super Lloyd

      the file is also not compatible between architecture to the next! :( i.e. endianess for sure.. but probably computer struct paddings too! :/ though haven't used C in decades, so I am not so sure about that one...

      A new .NET Serializer All in one Menu-Ribbon Bar Taking over the world since 1371!

      H Offline
      H Offline
      honey the codewitch
      wrote on last edited by
      #36

      Sometimes that doesn't matter. Sometimes you're writing software dedicated to a particular microcontroller and it expects the thing to be wired a certain way in order to run anyway.

      Real programmers use butterflies

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      • H honey the codewitch

        Sometimes that doesn't matter. Sometimes you're writing software dedicated to a particular microcontroller and it expects the thing to be wired a certain way in order to run anyway.

        Real programmers use butterflies

        S Offline
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        Super Lloyd
        wrote on last edited by
        #37

        oh well.. yes if consumer and producer is the same one, I guess it's all good! :)

        A new .NET Serializer All in one Menu-Ribbon Bar Taking over the world since 1371!

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        • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

          Well, some of the template stuff out there... :wtf:

          Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
          The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

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          David ONeil
          wrote on last edited by
          #38

          When that becomes easy to read, you know you are a real programmer!

          “If we get $100,000, we will go to Potato blockchain.” Enable the dream!

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

            :laugh: You mean C++ that is no more than C or, even worse, FORTRAN?

            Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
            The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

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            TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
            wrote on last edited by
            #39

            Yeah, that too. But yes, c++ that was like trying to interpret sanskrit.

            #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

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            • Greg UtasG Greg Utas

              No problem. Placement new to the rescue! Sorry, wrong language. :laugh:

              Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
              The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

              T Offline
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              TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
              wrote on last edited by
              #40

              Yeah, but that processing the struct after-the-fact. Her technique is great for 'simple' structs.

              #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

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              • H honey the codewitch

                The cast operator is why I can cast my struct directly to an "array" of bytes and stash it in a file. It makes me happy. It's so elegant. So concise. And so dangerous.

                Real programmers use butterflies

                J Offline
                J Offline
                Jorgen Andersson
                wrote on last edited by
                #41

                I've read this subject line several times now, wanting to point out what's so wrong with it. Anyway, I think you will love Javascript.

                Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello Never stop dreaming - Freddie Kruger

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                • J Jorgen Andersson

                  I've read this subject line several times now, wanting to point out what's so wrong with it. Anyway, I think you will love Javascript.

                  Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello Never stop dreaming - Freddie Kruger

                  H Offline
                  H Offline
                  honey the codewitch
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #42

                  There's a special place in programmer hell for whoever came up with duck typing.

                  Real programmers use butterflies

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                  • D Daniel Pfeffer

                    [Program: Shoot in foot](http://www.personal.psu.edu/sxt104/program1.html)

                    Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.

                    F Offline
                    F Offline
                    fd9750
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #43

                    The one about Forth is right on the mark. :-D

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                    • H honey the codewitch

                      The cast operator is why I can cast my struct directly to an "array" of bytes and stash it in a file. It makes me happy. It's so elegant. So concise. And so dangerous.

                      Real programmers use butterflies

                      F Offline
                      F Offline
                      fd9750
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #44

                      I have been using C for+/- 32 years and still like it a lot. The fact that yes, you can do anything, does force you to be very careful what you ask for because you will get it. :-\

                      H 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • D David ONeil

                        den2k88 wrote:

                        C++ is ... hard to read and often very hard to write

                        Am I using it wrong, because I've never had these problems?

                        “If we get $100,000, we will go to Potato blockchain.” Enable the dream!

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                        D Offline
                        den2k88
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #45

                        Neither did I, until I discovered I "was using it wrong" and had some "true C++ programmer" abusing templates lambda functions like there was no tomorrow.

                        GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++*      Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X

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                        • D Daniel Pfeffer

                          [Program: Shoot in foot](http://www.personal.psu.edu/sxt104/program1.html)

                          Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.

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                          Rage
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #46

                          The C++ one is even more accurate when pointers are involved !

                          Do not escape reality : improve reality !

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                          • H honey the codewitch

                            The cast operator is why I can cast my struct directly to an "array" of bytes and stash it in a file. It makes me happy. It's so elegant. So concise. And so dangerous.

                            Real programmers use butterflies

                            C Offline
                            C Offline
                            ColinBurnell
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #47

                            You could always use a union, no need to even cast then (: I wouldn't want to program in C targeting a PC these days; but it is good for 8 & 16 bit embedded work, where you need to get at hardware registers and only have maybe 2K RAM and 16K or 32K ROM.

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                            • H honey the codewitch

                              The cast operator is why I can cast my struct directly to an "array" of bytes and stash it in a file. It makes me happy. It's so elegant. So concise. And so dangerous.

                              Real programmers use butterflies

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                              Stuart Dootson
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #48

                              If you were using [fwrite](https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/io/fwrite), you wouldn't even need a cast...

                              Java, Basic, who cares - it's all a bunch of tree-hugging hippy cr*p

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                              • H honey the codewitch

                                It's good for you - puts hair on your chest.** ** I don't know what to tell if you aren't looking for that. :~

                                Real programmers use butterflies

                                B Offline
                                B Offline
                                BryanFazekas
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #49

                                Dang! I chased FAR too many pointers! :laugh:

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                                • H honey the codewitch

                                  I use unions sometimes, but i only needed the cast in two places in the code that inspired this post, and it was all it was ever going to need. :)

                                  Real programmers use butterflies

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                                  W Balboos GHB
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #50

                                  I really liked being able to cast nearly anything to anything. For a cheap and easy (and not too secure) 'encryption' I'd just do something like:

                                  union {
                                  char * readable;
                                  ulong * notSoMuch;
                                  }

                                  and then you can trivially make a string unreadable by storing the int array in a text file (lots of options there, too, spaced or other-delimiters? left-zero-filled? Decryption is obvious - and really no overhead as all - I always though of it as the string and its encrypted version coexisting in different planes of their little universe.

                                  Ravings en masse^

                                  "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

                                  "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

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                                  • W W Balboos GHB

                                    I really liked being able to cast nearly anything to anything. For a cheap and easy (and not too secure) 'encryption' I'd just do something like:

                                    union {
                                    char * readable;
                                    ulong * notSoMuch;
                                    }

                                    and then you can trivially make a string unreadable by storing the int array in a text file (lots of options there, too, spaced or other-delimiters? left-zero-filled? Decryption is obvious - and really no overhead as all - I always though of it as the string and its encrypted version coexisting in different planes of their little universe.

                                    Ravings en masse^

                                    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

                                    "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

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                                    H Offline
                                    honey the codewitch
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #51

                                    I use the union technique for that in both C(++) and C#. I don't *always* use it in the former just because i hate declaring new types for one or two lines of code where it will be used. i don't really believe in security by obscurity in most cases, but it may be useful for shrouding source code.

                                    Real programmers use butterflies

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                                    • C ColinBurnell

                                      You could always use a union, no need to even cast then (: I wouldn't want to program in C targeting a PC these days; but it is good for 8 & 16 bit embedded work, where you need to get at hardware registers and only have maybe 2K RAM and 16K or 32K ROM.

                                      H Offline
                                      H Offline
                                      honey the codewitch
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #52

                                      I'm coding a microcontroller and technically I'm using C++ but barely because I am avoiding templates and the STL. =(

                                      Real programmers use butterflies

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                                      • F fd9750

                                        I have been using C for+/- 32 years and still like it a lot. The fact that yes, you can do anything, does force you to be very careful what you ask for because you will get it. :-\

                                        H Offline
                                        H Offline
                                        honey the codewitch
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #53

                                        It's very satisfying to be back to it after being confined to coding in C# so much.

                                        Real programmers use butterflies

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • H honey the codewitch

                                          The cast operator is why I can cast my struct directly to an "array" of bytes and stash it in a file. It makes me happy. It's so elegant. So concise. And so dangerous.

                                          Real programmers use butterflies

                                          U Offline
                                          U Offline
                                          User 13269747
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #54

                                          Quote:

                                          I love C where types are basically a suggestion rather than a rule

                                          That doesn't sound like C. The only place in C where types are not enforced are in void pointers. Everywhere else you have to literally force the compiler to accept incorrect types. How is this different from other languages?

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