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.lang.c Subject: Re: ANSII C, optimization, and "hardware registers" Message-ID: <4503@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Fri, 19-Oct-84 12:59:09 EDT Article-I.D.: utzoo.4503 Posted: Fri Oct 19 12:59:09 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 19-Oct-84 12:59:09 EDT References: <1538@wateng.UUCP>, <2747@ucbcad.UUCP>, <185@uthub.UUCP> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 11 A paranoid compiler could, presumably, assume that "volatile" meant not only that the location might change underfoot, but also that there was something strange about it and it had better be accessed in the most straightforward way possible. My own thought would be that the special keyword ("volatile" is perhaps not an ideal choice, it's too specific) should simply mean that the compiler should be as paranoid as possible on the given architecture. I suspect that trying to pin down the exact semantics is both difficult and unwise. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry