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by spookie 398 days ago
C is indeed simple.
2 comments

The C standard has about 700 pages.
Sure, but what are you comparing it against? C is certainly more straightforward to internalize than the semantics of C++, or Python.

Many of the corners of C understanding come with inherently abstruse backgrounds: say, accessing fenced memory with an aliased value in-scope, or in getting the particulars of expected memory-layout right for a given ABI. None of this actually impacts most daily development.

Hell, the impact of using zero-terminated strings is far greater of an issue than poor-specification of the language is. You have to deal with this problem; POSIX decided to bake it in to its core. Pointer mismanagement is a generally difficult problem, but C decided to actively cook-in hard-to-manage-strings.

Until you reach the many dark corners of the syntax.
simply don't do that
Unfortunately it's unavoidable for real-world systems.