I have done stack-based development integrating C and Lua.
While I might agree with Julien that Lua has a few quirks that can reduce your productivity, I have never had any problem finding helpful resources to help solve my specific problems.
I think that avoiding Lua because of these limitations is quitting too soon, or throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I think Lua is a very useful tool with wide applicability.
The IRC channel #lua on Freenode is a friendly and welcoming place.
The official Lua mailing list is also a great place to explore the particulars of a problem and receive the benefit of many expert eyes on your code. [0]
There is example code in various places on the Internet showing good ways to do careful stack management with C/Lua. I found these to be the most helpful. [1]
If you are used to stack-based programming in languages like Forth or PostScript, you will probably feel at home.
If you are not, you will have a learning curve before you start to feel productive.
Thanks for the links! This is one of the reasons I love HN: even an article that I have a <meh> response to can generate lots of useful responses and great links. (He said, awaiting the inevitable Vim post that will once again provide a couple of idioms or links he hadn't run into before.)
While I might agree with Julien that Lua has a few quirks that can reduce your productivity, I have never had any problem finding helpful resources to help solve my specific problems.
I think that avoiding Lua because of these limitations is quitting too soon, or throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I think Lua is a very useful tool with wide applicability.
The IRC channel #lua on Freenode is a friendly and welcoming place.
The official Lua mailing list is also a great place to explore the particulars of a problem and receive the benefit of many expert eyes on your code. [0]
There is example code in various places on the Internet showing good ways to do careful stack management with C/Lua. I found these to be the most helpful. [1]
If you are used to stack-based programming in languages like Forth or PostScript, you will probably feel at home.
If you are not, you will have a learning curve before you start to feel productive.
0: http://vlists.pepperfish.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lua-l-...
1: http://lua-users.org/wiki/SampleCode (see "Lua C API samples")
1: http://cc.byexamples.com/2008/11/19/lua-stack-dump-for-c/
1: http://docclox.blogspot.com/2011/01/about-lua-stack.html
Edit: clarity, tone, links, more links, typo