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From: DBrown@HI-MULTICS.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: Global variables...
Message-ID: <821@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Jun-84 11:03:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.821
Posted: Wed Jun 13 11:03:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Jun-84 02:19:18 EDT
Lines: 12


  The reason for get_thing() and set_thing() have little if anything to
do with religion, (unless Dave Parnas decides to start his own church),
but do have to do with maintainability.
  If I "hide" the implementation of the error-reporter inside a pair of
globally-accessably functions, I have a simple way of changing the
implementation:  I install a new version of get/set in the library
search order, and everyone who links a new program gets the new one.
  The "global variable" implementation tends to be a nuisance when one
has to continue to maintain something when the requirements (hardware!)
changes.
  --dave (all bow down to the altar of maintainability) brown