Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site umcp-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!chris From: chris@umcp-cs.UUCP (Chris Torek) Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Re: 6 char externs and the ANSI standard Message-ID: <337@umcp-cs.UUCP> Date: Sat, 13-Oct-84 02:09:13 EDT Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.337 Posted: Sat Oct 13 02:09:13 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 14-Oct-84 04:49:45 EDT References: <12792@sri-arpa.UUCP> <454@voder.UUCP> <1570@nsc.UUCP> Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD Lines: 29 * From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Zonker T. Chuqui) But look at reality for a second. there are many, many, MANY systems out there with this (or similar) restrictions [short external names] inbred into the system software. Manufacturers who would want to implement a standard C compiler would have to change ALL of their software to meet that standard. For example, the DEC people would not only have to change/'fix' vax-11C, but cobol, pascal, fortran, bliss, logo, smalltalk, euclid, macro, and the kitchen sink. Wait a minute. First of all, doesn't VMS support 31-character names? But more important, no one would have to change ALL their software to meet a new standard. They have lots of options: don't support it (or the "full" version); write a new linker that can be used with (probably only with) the C compiler; come up with funny hash/name-translation schemes, etc. (By the way, speaking of ``break zoop'' vs ``goto out'' -- when you get right down to it, it amounts to the same thing, so the ``structuredness'' should be the same, given a reasonable definition (like flowgraph reducibility). The ONLY REALLY important thing is how it affects you humans :-).) -- (This mind accidently left blank.) In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci (301) 454-7690 UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!chris CSNet: chris@umcp-cs ARPA: chris@maryland