Al Franken wants controls because his facial scan identifies as "asshole."

I agree with your comments. When I started with the Lifeboat compiler "back in the day" I could visualize the assembly that would be generated with the C code being written. Reading from K&R, it's clear that constructs such as switch(), prefix/postfix increments and the like, the register modifer, etc. were all there to make it easier to generate straight-line assembly in a friendlier syntax (I seem to recall that it would, in fact, generate an assembly source listing if requested.). Even the #asm shows the intimacy between the two. To your points, modern compilers "interpreting" C source into something that is much smaller/faster may get a Good Thing in the long run, but I miss the days when I could just code and know exactly what the compiler would produce. I also remember those times I had to write subroutines in assembler because the compiler refused to produce what I wanted. Sometimes the optimizer is wrong.

The power of C is - and always has been - that it is a shorthand for assembly. It compiles very small and runs very fast, making it ideal for embedded systems.

I highly recommend that you go to 419eater.com and read the stories - it's the best way to lose an afternoon, besides being highly entertaining, informative, and horrifying all at the same time. And, yes, the way these "baiters" operate is not unlike masked vigilantism.

Yet another Microsoft product that is meticulously planned, engineered, and executed such that no one will want to pay for it. Except Mr. Bill, that is.

MS: "Here's our version of an established service, but ours has more restrictions and costs more!"
Mr. Bill: "Sign me up!"
Everyone else: "Pound sand!"