[wiseowise]

> were C programmers "better"? In sum total, pretty much

No. Original programmers that just happened to use C were better, not the other way around.

[bdjsiqoocwk]

I disagree. The early adopters are usually exceptional. When adoption grows the average level decreases. This is a well known phenomenon which is larger than just programmers. It was even on HN recently, as applied to IQs in high schools over time: as more kids reach high school, the average decreases.

So yes. C programmers were better.

[wiseowise]

You’re literally proving my point and then summarizing with different conclusion.

They were exceptional because they were exceptional, not because they were C developers.