[wplug] relevance of C for Apps

[J Aaron Farr]

> I used to be a "get the best machine performance at all costs" bigot,
> but looking at the bigger picture, my time is generally worth more
> than the computer's.  Naturally, this sentiment can be taken too far,
> but my decision tree is usually "code it up in python, see where the
> bottlenecks are, then rewrite those in C or C++ as needed."

I have to agree with Tim here.

IMHO, C++ just isn't worth it.  If you are really concerned with
performance, go with C.  Otherwise, if you want a higher level language,
then go with Java, C#, Python, or Ruby.  I'm not much of a Perl fan for
large applications, but that's me.

Also, this isn't just a matter of "right tool for the job," though that is
very important.  A big factor is what you're most comfortable with and how
much maintance will need to be done.

I'm mostly a Java developer myself, but I've been playing with Ruby a bit
lately and it's really nice.  YMMV.

jaaron