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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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  • 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.

    T Offline
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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.

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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

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        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

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          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.

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            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. :-\

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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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                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

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                    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

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                        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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                            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.

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                              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. :-\

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                                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

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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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                                  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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                                  • U User 13269747

                                    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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                                    honey the codewitch
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #55

                                    You misunderstand me. I'm not saying C doesn't enforce types. I'm saying if you want to change the type it's enforcing you just have to give it a little nudge. For example

                                    struct S {
                                    int x;
                                    int y;
                                    };

                                    ...

                                    S s;

                                    s.x=1;
                                    s.y=1;

                                    byte* bp = (byte*)&s;

                                    // now i can work on it as a series of bytes

                                    Real programmers use butterflies

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                                    • D den2k88

                                      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

                                      D Offline
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                                      David ONeil
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #56

                                      Ung! That sucks! I will admit that I'm not a great fan of lambda syntax, but I love what it is capable of. Putting them in templates - major Ungh! I would classify that as template metaprogramming, rather than C++, just so I could live in my happy little C++ bubble!

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

                                      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

                                        R Offline
                                        R Offline
                                        Rusty Bullet
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #57

                                        It's power and speed meant no extra weight from seat belts allowed. Just like any language, you learned where and how to be careful. "it corners on like it is on rails! (Pretty Woman)

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                                        • T The Other John Ingram

                                          I had a legacy program that had void****** as part of a sort routine. It worked, i didn't now how. The guy that wrote it was long gone and i spent a afternoon trying to figure out how it worked. In the end i left it alone.

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                                          englebart
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #58

                                          That looks like a documentation trick to me. "I don't care what the heck is on the other side of the pointer". What was the max dereference level in the actual usage? A single level?

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