[news.software.b] Cnews vs. ANSI C

blarson@dianne.usc.edu (bob larson) (12/03/89)

In article <89Dec2.021206est.2151@neat.cs.toronto.edu> moraes@cs.toronto.edu (Mark Moraes) writes:
>[Geoff Collyer also warns that you had better use gcc -traditional --
> he staunchly denies that C News is written in ANSI C, and insists
> that compiling C News with an ANSI C compiler (alleged or otherwise)
> will void your warranty...]

Does this mean than C news won't work on a C compiler without the
"traditional" bugs, (such as using comments as token pasting, and
substituting macro paramaters in quoted strings) or just that it
doesn't take advantage of the new features in ANSI C.  If the former,
it means I have a bigger job in front of me, I'm contemplating porting
C news to os9/68k, which has a C compiler that doesn't have these
bugs.  (ANSI version will be done, but isn't yet available.)
(Yes, I realize this means translating all the shell scripts to C.)

Bob Larson	blarson@dianne.usc.edu		usc!dianne!blarson
--**		To join Prime computer mailing list		**---
info-prime-request@ais1.usc.edu		usc!ais1!info-prime-request

henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (12/03/89)

In article <21546@usc.edu> blarson@dianne.usc.edu (bob larson) writes:
>> ...compiling C News with an ANSI C compiler (alleged or otherwise)
>> will void your warranty...]
>
>Does this mean than C news won't work on a C compiler without the
>"traditional" bugs, (such as using comments as token pasting, and
>substituting macro paramaters in quoted strings)...

We don't commit such vilenesses.  Our attitude towards Reiserisms like
this resembles our attitude towards cockroaches.

> ...or just that it
>doesn't take advantage of the new features in ANSI C...

The main problem is areas like function prototyping.  Personally, I think
Geoff exaggerates the non-ANSIness of the code, but there are problems
here and there with making things acceptable to *both* current compilers
and ANSI compilers, and these have generally been resolved in favor of
current compilers.

>... I'm contemplating porting C news to os9/68k...
>(Yes, I realize this means translating all the shell scripts to C.)

Between the shell scripts and the awk scripts, this will be a fair-sized
job, but the C code should not be a major problem.
-- 
Mars can wait:  we've barely   |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
started exploring the Moon.    | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu

davidsen@sungod.crd.ge.com (William Davidsen) (12/05/89)

In article <1989Dec2.235748.7304@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:

| The main problem is areas like function prototyping.  Personally, I think
| Geoff exaggerates the non-ANSIness of the code, but there are problems
| here and there with making things acceptable to *both* current compilers
| and ANSI compilers, and these have generally been resolved in favor of
| current compilers.

  I don't know if the problems are exagerated or not, but I gave up
trying to get it to compile under the latest, most ANSIfied, C compiler
for Xenix. The problems were in the procedure types among other things.
If I had a good reason to change I would, but I spent about four hours
hacking at the sources, and finally got it to compile only to find that
I had broken something.

  I suspect that it would compile fine with pcc or even the old xenix
compiler, but that's the price you pay for having the latest version.
	bill davidsen		(davidsen@crdos1.crd.GE.COM)
  {uunet | philabs}!crdgw1!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me