I see we still like C

Abstract

The latest rankings of computer language popularity once again list C as the most popular programming language [1]. As a computer scientist that has written a lot of C code over the years, I must admit that makes me smile. While I don't write code much anymore, I like writing code, and I like writing it in C. Apparently so do a lot of other people. However, C was also the most popular programming language 25 years ago which is one indication that, in the field of software development, not much has changed. Are software developers unwilling to accept new paradigms or are the new paradigms proposed to-date simply unacceptable? This talk discusses what has and hasn't changed in the area of software development, how change (or the lack of it) relates to application security, and concludes with some thoughts on possible directions for the future.