Bootstrapper Rewrite Language
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I'm looking at replacing a bootstrapper at work and need suggestions for languages other than C/C++. Nothing wrong with C/C++ per-say but there's enough string and memory management WTFery it is easier to deal with HP Fortify by writing in something newer. Or something it doesn't know how to scan.
Basic requirements:
- Self contained runtime and/or dependencies can be statically linked.
- Can interface with Win32 APIs to: read/write registry keys, set ACLs(optional), enumerate disk drives, get system information like total system memory, launch external process/executable, grab a mutex.
- Ability to deal with XML(though INI file support is an acceptable alternative).
- Needs to run on at least Windows XP(just so it can say go pound sand, unsupported OS).
- MessageBoxes
Thus far I've considered:
- VB6. I'd rather not. That and if Microsoft finally puts a bullet in its head Windows vNext that's another re-write.
- Install
ShitScript. Got another product that is written in this abomination. Imagine VB, C and Pascal had a drunken orgy. Now imagine that offspring was thrown down the fire escape of a high-rise building and hit every step on the way down. Don't want a repeat of that. - D. Looks like it will fit all the requirements and is enough like C other developers should be able to pick it up. Current direction I'm leaning.
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NSIS (if you need it to be tiny) or Inno Setup?
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Pedantic dickweed moment. Please consider this not a spelling flame (which would be just plain dickweedy), but as an attempt to educate someone whose native language may or may not be English, and is apparently familiar with this phrase borrowed from Latin, but not its written form:@MathNerdCNU said:
Nothing wrong with C/C++ per-say but
The key is that it is Latin, and has nothing to do with saying anything.
per se
Literally, "for itself." More idiomatically, "in and of itself," or simply "itself."
Nothing wrong with C/C++, itself, but ...
Also note that some in this forum would find fault not only with the incorrect Latin, but with the statement itself.
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And they would probably qualify for one of the pedantry awards if they did so.
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Also note that some in this forum would find fault not only with the incorrect Latin, but with the statement itself.
You mean: "with the statement per se"?
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> Nothing wrong with C/C++, itself, but ...
Also note that some in this forum would find fault not only with the incorrect Latin, but with the statement itself.
You rang?
c/c++, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways...
- Implicit type conversions are evil.
- Operator precedence is hard to remember because it's counter-intuitive, so complex expressions tend to have more parentheses than Lisp code.
- Buffer overflows.
- Memory leaks.
- Write-only code.
- Type-safe alternatives that can FFI into existing libraries have existed for years.
I guess that's enough for now.
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(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)
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(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)
Are you trying for some sort of "Most posts withdrawn by author" badge, or something?
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No because only half of those posts were actually withdrawn.
Which is kind of the point.
Filed Under: yes i know there can't be half of 3 posts withdrawn.
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One would think I would remember more of the two years of Latin I took. I could say, C'est la vie, but I'm not trying to turn this into 'How many phrases from Romantic languages can I fuck up in one thread?'
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Romans go home?
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statically linked
Hey, have you guys heard about Go?
Can interface with Win32 APIs
Hey, have you guys heard about Go?
Ability to deal with XML
Hey, have you guys heard about Go?
Needs to run on at least Windows XP
Hey, have you guys heard about Go?
MessageBoxes
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You know what, I think we fucking heard about Go already but we don't really want to get involved with one of Google's also-ran experiments. See: Dart.
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One would think I would remember more of the two years of Latin I took. I could say, C'est la vie, but I'm not trying to turn this into 'How many phrases from Romantic languages can I fuck up in one thread?'
How many I don't know, but you can fuck up english just as well... Romanic or Romance languages, not Romantic.
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It's been a while since I was in that world, but good old Delphi could do all of those things. It was producing statically linked exe files, that could be bin-copied and executed without any hassle (unlike VB6).
Delphi is pretty much gone now, but if you're at all familiar with the language (Object Pascal, a bit stuffy, but better than c++) , give Lazarus a look. I've been keeping an eye on it from the sidelines and occasionally make a toy calculator app or some shit, just for nostalgia's sake. The interface feels great, with full-on IDE, form builder, all bells and whistles. And now, it seems it can work cross-platform too.
The only caveat is, I'm not sure about dependencies and Windows XP support. But IMO it's worth a look.
UPDATE: Yup, seems to support Windows 95 and up. Sweet.
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Another vote for NSIS here as it can do all of that. It works great and reliably once you get the script written. The graphical design tools might also be fit for service these days with any luck.
