fully agree. From one 40 year old hacker to another, C is a very meaningful and useful language. It is not a "premature optimization" for someone who really gets unix/linux. I have built http://shellshadow.com with C and have been very happy with the decision to get "closer to the metal" from the beginning. My server processes are lean and mean. They don't crash for inexplicable reasons. When I have a bug, there are not many layers of technology to slug through.