jangr@microsoft.UUCP (Jan Gray) (02/06/89)
pANS C accepts "int a();" and "a() {}" but not "a();", which is valid K&R C.
I am curious about the rationale behind this change. Was it "nobody really
uses that construct, and banning it simplifies the grammar"?
Jan Gray uunet!microsoft!jangr Microsoft Corp., Redmond Wash. 206-882-8080jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck) (02/07/89)
In article <46@microsoft.UUCP> jangr@microsoft.UUCP (Jan Gray) writes: >pANS C accepts "int a();" and "a() {}" but not "a();", which is valid K&R C. >I am curious about the rationale behind this change. Was it "nobody really >uses that construct, and banning it simplifies the grammar"? Not only does nobody use that construct intentionally, but I've seen problems arise because of typos because of this construct. I had a coworker make an error roughly equivalent to double x, y; func(); (typing a semicolon instead of a comma) which has the effect of declaring func to return an integer (this is easy to do when you add an extra variable or function to a declaration). Under ANSI rules an error is reported and the problem is corrected. -- - Joe Buck jbuck@epimass.epi.com, or uunet!epimass.epi.com!jbuck, or jbuck%epimass.epi.com@uunet.uu.net for old Arpa sites Life is not a dress rehearsal.
friedl@vsi.COM (Stephen J. Friedl) (02/07/89)
In article <46@microsoft.UUCP> jangr@microsoft.UUCP (Jan Gray) writes: > > pANS C accepts "int a();" and "a() {}" but not "a();", which is valid K&R C. > I am curious about the rationale behind this change. Was it "nobody really > uses that construct, and banning it simplifies the grammar"? In article <2856@epimass.EPI.COM>, jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck) writes: > > Not only does nobody use that construct intentionally, but I've seen > problems arise because of typos because of this construct. I hate to tell you this folks, but this default-type-is-int is indeed used in a wide body of C code. Check with your local archive site for recent the Obfuscated C contest entries. Steve :-) -- Stephen J. Friedl 3B2-kind-of-guy friedl@vsi.com V-Systems, Inc. I speak for you only attmail!vsi!friedl Santa Ana, CA USA +1 714 545 6442 {backbones}!vsi!friedl Nancy Reagan on these *stupid* .signatures: "Enough already, OK?"