C's syntax
Erik Max Francis
max at alcyone.com
Wed Oct 25 00:10:53 EDT 2000
Alex Martelli wrote:
> It *IS* most definitely the language's fault if its syntax is so
> horrid that it needs specific implementations to "subset" that
> syntax, while having standards that assert the whole syntax
> must be such-and-such.
Then don't use it. People who like C will disagree with you, however.
> Either the idiom
> while(this_char = get_next_char())
> is a good thing to have in the language, in which case it's
> silly to state that a good compiler should strive to make its
> users avoid it; or, the idiom is a BAD thing to have in the
> language, in which case it's just as silly to keep stating that
> the language's syntax is good!
It's a good thing to have in the language, because it adds more
flexibility. The typical way of using it is something like
while ((c = getchar()) != EOF)
...
which, as any C programmer will tell you, is very convenient. In fact
assignment in while loops is usually not suspect. The typical way of
suppressing an assignment-or-equality warning is by separating that
expression with parentheses and doing an explicit comparison (as above),
or by simply adding a set of extra parentheses.
> ... and your insistence
> on compiler-warnings suggests that so do you, ...
No it doesn't, you are quoting me out of context.
> ... except that
> you seem unable to follow through logically and admit
> that, as *the syntax of C has horrid aspects that should
> NOT be used* (with, even, compiler-warnings pushing users
> away from them), therefore, *the syntax of C is _NOT_
> good*.
_You_ don't like C's syntax. That does not mean that it is not good;
that just means that, in your opinion, it is not good. Don't use C; get
over it.
--
Erik Max Francis / max at alcyone.com / http://www.alcyone.com/max/
__ San Jose, CA, US / 37 20 N 121 53 W / ICQ16063900 / &tSftDotIotE
/ \ Blood is the god of war's rich livery.
\__/ Christopher Marlowe
The laws list / http://www.alcyone.com/max/physics/laws/
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