'C' was developed in an environment wherein it was already known that it would be around for a long time, and in an age when software products lived a long time. Today's products' lives are measured in minutes, and not in decades. Maintenance isn't the issue it once was because the "next revision" will probably not only use a different MCU, but probably be built by a different team under different management. Today's developers don't plan to develop a product then build a company around it. They develop a business with the plan to sell it once their product begins to sell and show a profit. That's why cost is the big issue, and managers don't care about documentation. That's why it matters whether the object code is 16383 bytes in size or 16385. That's why it's important that the job will run on the 12 MHz part that's 30 cents cheaper than the 24 MHz part. The code, they only pay for once. The hardware is paid for with each product that's shipped. If they're look like they have "blue sky," then their product has to sell plenty at low manufacturing cost and high retail.

RE