olbigtenor:
...
> Then when one is
> talking about manual transmissions - - - what about double clutching and
> split transmissions (not uncommon in heavy vehicles although no longer as
> common as they were some 40 or more years ago).
...

I think double clutching is obsolete, split transmission is still alive.
Many heavy vehicles are automatic today, especially buses in city
traffic.
The manufacturers here are very keen on making good automatic geartrains.
There are downfalls with modern vehicles, eg. you cannot brake the trailer
separately to be able to stear a slippery downhill, dito parking brake are
more or less all or nothing. So the lorrys are easier for the inexperienced
but harder for the experienced when really needed.
And there you have the connection back to C vs. perl/python etc.

Regards,
/Karl Hammar