Ask HN: Is it worth it to learn C to better understand Python?

Re:Ask HN: Is it worth it to learn C to better understand Py... by PotentialArt635 on Sunday January 30, 2022 @08:26AM (#30136980)

I would say it depends on what you want to do.

I would choose Python for fast prototyping and proofing-of-concepts, C for performance-intensive apps.

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Re:Ask HN: Is it worth it to learn C to better understand Py... by chris_st on Sunday January 30, 2022 @09:10AM (#30137324)

I'd really rather recommend Nim [1] for performance-intensive apps. Its syntax resembles Python, it is far and away safer, but it complies (via generating C) to a full binary, and the resulting binary is very fast.

Don't let the fact that it has a garbage collector scare you -- you can turn it off if you don't like it.

1: https://nim-lang.org/

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Re:Ask HN: Is it worth it to learn C to better understand Py... by Tozen on Sunday January 30, 2022 @12:36PM (#30139161)

Python has a much stronger relationship to C than Nim. Thus many would argue it would be a better recommendation to learn C, if a Python user. In the case of Nim, it would arguably be a language to learn instead of Python, as oppose to somebody who is already an advanced Python user.

Other strong choices of newer languages to choose from would be Golang, Rust, Red, or Vlang.

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