Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry 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