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Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:58:55 -0500
From: Bob McIsaac <bobmc@fcibroadband.com>
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To: Ivan Voras <ivoras@freebsd.org>
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Cc: freebsd-arch@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: Objective-C kernel Development
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Ivan Voras wrote:
> Ben Crowhurst wrote:
>   
>> Has Objective-C ever been concidered for kernel development?
>>     
>
> I haven't done anything in it, but it seems it has some good points:
> native compilation and similarity to C. On the other hand it's not
> nearly as popular and well-known as C++, doesn't have templates and not
> even Apple uses it in kernel (IOKit is in C++).
>
>   
Higher level languages help application programmers but may
not help kernel developers because different concerns and
constraints apply.  Performance is much more important for
kernel.  The memory-management and bounds checking built
into some languages might hinder the kernel guys who want
precise control over every aspect of kernel execution. Someone
said that with C you can shoot yourself in the foot, but C++
blows your leg off.

Perhaps the skill and motivation of the kernel developer is more
important than the language used.
-BobMc-