[net.lang.c] Traps for a Vaxite

geacc022%timevx@CIT-HAMLET.ARPA (07/31/85)

    Thanks to those who responded with suggestions on traps that
programmers raised on a VAX should avoid when trying to write portable
code.  Here's a summary of what was mentioned; most of these have been
discussed (sometimes at great length) on this list:

Pointer-pointer and -integer differences
int != long != short
NULL != 0
Signed vs. unsigned chars
Alignment (there *is* sometimes padding)
Byte ordering (aka the NUXI problem -- esp. but not all byte-swapping)
ASCII characters
Declarations of external functions
Declarations of functions returning non-ints
Length of external symbols
8-bit characters (and 16-bit shorts...)
One's-complement problems (e.g., -1 != ~0)
& operator on parameters and other non-variables.

    Thanks to those who responded,
	blarson@usc-ecl.arpa	mbm@mit-xx.arpa     uwmcsd1!jgd
	utzoo!henry	mbarker@bbnz.arpa   baylor!peter    mcvax!ken

			Gary Ansok
			geacc022%timevx @ cit-hamlet.arpa
			gea @ caltech.bitnet
			...ucbvax!cithep!timevx#geacc022

"All the world loves a straight man."