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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: new topic...exorcising externs
Message-ID: <3951@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 9-Jun-84 17:43:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.3951
Posted: Sat Jun  9 17:43:33 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Jun-84 17:43:33 EDT
References: <311@zeus.UUCP>, <2515@allegra.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 14

I agree that "progname" for error-message purposes is a good use of
externs.  I am less happy about "errno" -- it's a kludge around the
problem of sometimes wanting specific error information and sometimes
not, and having problems fitting this into the classical return-value
paradigm -- but agree that we are stuck with it.

However, if those are the best examples people can come up with for
good uses of external variables, I think my contention (that external
variables are usually bad) is fairly safe.  These are a drop in the
bucket, folks, accounting for practically 0% of the use of external
variables.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry