The article argues that the perception of C as a “low‑level” language has become outdated.
- **Historical context** – In the early 1970s, C on the PDP‑11 was literally close to the metal: each statement mapped to one or two machine instructions, memory was flat, and the execution model was straightforward.
- **Modern hardware** – Today’s CPUs are far more complex (multi‑core, deep pipelines, out‑of‑order execution, vector units, large caches, speculative execution). They are designed to run legacy C code efficiently, but the underlying reality is far removed from the simple model that early C programmers relied on.
- **The illusion** – Modern processors adapt to preserve the old C abstract machine, giving developers the impression that C is still “low‑level.” This illusion hides a mismatch between what C promises (predictable, simple mapping to hardware) and what the hardware actually does.
- **Historical context** – In the early 1970s, C on the PDP‑11 was literally close to the metal: each statement mapped to one or two machine instructions, memory was flat, and the execution model was straightforward.
- **Modern hardware** – Today’s CPUs are far more complex (multi‑core, deep pipelines, out‑of‑order execution, vector units, large caches, speculative execution). They are designed to run legacy C code efficiently, but the underlying reality is far removed from the simple model that early C programmers relied on.
- **The illusion** – Modern processors adapt to preserve the old C abstract machine, giving developers the impression that C is still “low‑level.” This illusion hides a mismatch between what C promises (predictable, simple mapping to hardware) and what the hardware actually does.
An international team analyzed ancient DNA from 230 individuals in Georgia and Armenia, revealing a largely stable local gene pool from the Bronze Age to 500 CE, with some migration from Anatolia and the Eurasian steppe. The study also found that cranial deformation, initially introduced by migrants, became a local tradition.
The Keeladi archaeological site in Tamil Nadu, India, is revealing ancient artefacts that challenge existing historical narratives and has become a symbol of state pride and identity, sparking political debate.
An article discussing the Carthaginian empire, highlighting its history, culture, and influence, arguing it was more impactful than ancient Rome. It focuses on Hannibal, Carthaginian society, and the historical bias towards Roman accounts.
Introducing Aeneas, the first AI model for contextualizing ancient inscriptions, designed to help historians better interpret, attribute, and restore fragmentary texts. It reasons across thousands of Latin inscriptions, retrieving textual and contextual parallels to aid in historical research.
Journal of Mississippi History
Volume 82 Number 3 Article 4
2020
Volume 82 Number 3 Article 4
2020
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of benzene's discovery and its profound impact on chemistry and various fields, from health and energy to materials science and education. The article traces the history of benzene, its unique properties, and its role as a building block for complex molecules like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and ultimately, graphene.
This article discusses efforts to reconstruct Shakespeare's original pronunciation, focusing on experiments at the Globe Theatre and the linguistic evidence used to inform these reconstructions. It details three key types of evidence: contemporary observations, spellings, and rhymes/puns that only work in the original pronunciation.
The original INTERCAL-72 compiler source code, as both scans and transcriptions, has been rediscovered and is now available. The article details the history of INTERCAL, its influence on esolangs, and the process of getting the original compiler running on a modern system.
PDF of the second edition of Information Processing Language V Manual (1964).
