[ale] Ruby vs C, a non-technical chat

Michael Trausch mike at trausch.us
Thu Aug 6 13:10:19 EDT 2015


Nice.

I give the client the git repo and the source code in PDF format now.

I seem to me moving in the direction of embedded+mobile+desktop integrations, and less data centery stuff.  Honestly useful because more of my work becomes visible to the wives and this means at they have an idea of what I'm doing more than "some invisible system somewhere".

Even on mobile, though, I prefer the use of native code to managed runtime solutions. I will use a managed runtime if I must, but I really do prefer to be able to explain every single line of code in terms of what exactly it makes the machine do.

It is virtually impossible to get that kind of understanding in any scripting language. Semantics can be explained, sure, but Python release x and x+1 will often create different machine instructions for the same code.

Vulnerabilities and thus exploits come from lack of understanding, laziness, or both. It is much easier for me to prove the functionality of my code compiled directly to x86 or ARM assembly, than to prove the same for a script, since I don't have to assume or prove that e.g., Python is securely doing what I told it to do.

Sent from my iPad

> On Aug 6, 2015, at 8:33 AM, Chris Fowler <cfowler at outpostsentinel.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> From: "Michael B. Trausch" <mike at trausch.us>
> To: ale at ale.org
> Sent: Wednesday, August 5, 2015 11:50:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [ale] Ruby vs C, a non-technical chat
> 
> I like to write the heavy lifting in C++, and then use SWIG to generate the API for prototyping/automation/testing/etc., which keeps all the doors open anyway. Static C++ code is easier to support when you're not the one with the hands on the system, too.  It's just amazing how many "IT professionals" will completely screw up your scripting code for no other reason than they could read it and they thought they could solve their problem without calling you, but they only made it worse instead, and they broke the system's remote access, and... well, you don't see IT n00bs really messing with ELF files all that much.
> 
> They don't touch my stuff.  They only get to run it.  Sometimes I may even run it through Acme::EyeDrops to so that they really can't touch it.  No one sees my code.  My goal is to use Linux to deliver a system to those that do not need to know Linux.  I could be the only Linux system in your Windows shop. 
> 
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