Developer Voices

What's Zig got that C, Rust and Go don't have? (with Loris Cro)

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Nov 15, 2023
Loris Cro from the Zig Foundation discusses Zig's ambition to replace C and its language design features. They compare Zig to Rust and Go and highlight its performance, safety, and interoperability with C. The podcast explores Zig's advantages, challenges, and funding structure. Topics covered include real-time audio processing, strings, 'defer' statement, compile-time string checking, and designing a small and consistent programming language.
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ANECDOTE

Zig's Origin

  • Andrew Kelly, Zig's creator, needed a language for real-time audio processing in a digital audio workstation.
  • Existing languages like C and C++ had drawbacks in metaprogramming and complexity.
INSIGHT

Zig's Philosophy

  • Zig prioritizes application development over language mastery, aiming for a simpler learning curve.
  • It addresses the complexities and control limitations found in languages like C++ and Rust.
INSIGHT

Building from Scratch

  • Zig emphasizes building from scratch, unlike languages that compile to C or rely on C's standard library.
  • This enables cross-compilation for various targets and operating systems.
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