[tedunangst]

I really did like getting interviewed in C. :) But I was also confident using it.

It was appealing knowing that interviews were conducted in a language that wasn't really being used. Lots of companies claim they will hire smart people regardless of skills, but then you show up to interview and the guy across the table really expects you to know python and is flabbergasted that you bothered applying without it. I felt Fog Creek really demonstrated commitment to the principle by interviewing in a "useless" language. As someone with a bit of experience looking to make a change, it was a nice touch.

[rockhymas]

I would agree. Though C is far from useless, it really isn't used here at the Creek. Which was a double bonus for me, since after 6 years immersed in C and C++ I could find a job that let me do something new but that I felt very comfortable interviewing for. That said, I really don't believe you need lots of C experience to do well in our interviews.

My full response to Ben is at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2442696.

[amackera]

You're pretty deluded if you think that C is a "useless" language.

[tedunangst]

It more or less is at Fog Creek. I am not unfamiliar with the usage of C outside of Fog Creek.

[jedsmith]

They have their own compiler for a custom VBScript derivative. If there's no C anywhere in it, I'd be surprised, but I am operating without knowledge of its implementation or output.

Edit: So what did I do wrong here? I admitted that I'm shooting in the dark, admitted that I'd be surprised if my hypothesis was true, and had absolutely no knowledge of who the person I'm replying to is. It's certainly not on his profile.

I put forth an incorrect assertion, a couple comments corrected me and I was happy to learn this insight, but my comment is already -1 because I'm what, not contributing to the conversation? Or because I was wrong? Do you have to vote on everything?

It's really interesting to me that HN whines daily about the decline in comment quality, then turns around and grays this comment. Decline of HN, indeed, downvote everyone unless they're correct or a valued member of the community. After yesterday's observations I figured I'd give it one last go, but now I just hope this community dies the hypocritical death it deserves.

[alexgartrell]

Ted worked at fog creek until very recently. He's also an OpenBSD contribiuter. I'm inclined to agree with his opinions regarding the relative value of C at fog creek.

I did an internship there but didnt ever look directly at wasabi. I know that it's not really in active development (only FogBugz even uses it) though so even if K&R hacked it up themselves, I'd argue it's not really important there anymore.

[gecko]

There's no C in Wasabi; it's pure C#. That said, keep in mind that Wasabi's only purpose in life is as a compatibility shim so that we weren't forced to rewrite FogBugz from scratch. No products other than FogBugz will ever be written in the language. Kiln, for example, is C#/Python/JavaScript.

[tedunangst]

I didn't downvote, nor do I think your comment deserved to be, but I'll point out one thing. Instead of asking a question about the language used, you made a statement. In effect, you asserted that I was wrong. You don't need to know someone's full background to give them the benefit of the doubt, especially if your own knowledge is limited. I admit to being guilty for doing the same, it's quite easy to dismiss faceless handles.

[grav1tas]

I'm not sure what's surprising about a compiler with no C in it. They're becoming much more common. I personally think C is an awful language to write a compiler in. One shouldn't be worrying about C's bookkeeping while also worrying about the bookkeeping a compiler requires.

Also, I think it's interesting when people use the word "interesting" when they probably really mean to use the word "annoying". If something really bugs you just say it bugs you.

[fractallyte]

A 'random drive-by downvoter' struck again... Not much thought involved in the action, and certainly nothing to contribute to the discussion. They feel good downvoting such an obvious 'troll', and then vanish into the ether.