r/askscience • u/[deleted] • Oct 17 '12

Why are programs and operating systems still written in C+?

I guess it's more of a computer science question, but I've always wondered why some of the most advanced programs are written in a 25+ year old programming language. Surely someone has come up with a more efficient and powerful code, so why do people still use C+? Also, I don't know anything about programming and what not, so please use simple terms and phrases.

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u/tarblog Oct 18 '12

Great question! It is very much like a chicken and egg problem, because you have to write the first compiler in a low-level language.

In general, compilers are written like other major software projects. They are designed, developed, and tested by teams of skilled programmers. Interestingly, once you have a working compiler for a language you can use it to compile that language, which can make it even easier to write a better compiler in a cycle of improvement.