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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!hasmed!qusavx!ukma!david
From: david@ukma.UUCP (David Herron, NPR Lover)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: length of external names
Message-ID: <455@ukma.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 2-Jan-85 01:37:57 EST
Article-I.D.: ukma.455
Posted: Wed Jan  2 01:37:57 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Jan-85 00:49:55 EST
References: <233@gumby.UUCP> <3194@alice.UUCP>, <236@gumby.UUCP> <4847@utzoo.UUCP>, <380@alberta.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of KY Mathematical Sciences
Lines: 31

> From: jeff@alberta.UUCP (C. J. Sampson)
> Newsgroups: net.lang.c
> Subject: Re: length of external names
> Message-ID: <380@alberta.UUCP>
> Date: Sun, 30-Dec-84 21:38:19 EST
> 
> > The current draft says that the length limit (if any) and treatment
> > of case in external identifiers are "implementation-defined", which
> > means that implementors can do things as they wish but must document
> > their decisions.  Also, the length limit may not be shorter than 6.
> 
> Gads!  When are they going to figure out that 6 or 8 characters is *not*
> enough.  I spent three hours porting ogre to an Altos 586 running some
> ancient verson of Xenix and most of that was spent changing function
> names because I had only 7 signifcant characters.  I think that the standard
> should enforce a minimum of 32 characters.  We will make programs more
> portable and readable.

But if we enforce a minimum size then they will be portable only
within the systems that support that size.  I think "implementation-defined"
is the way to go.  At least for now.

--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:-
David Herron;  ARPA-> "ukma!david"@ANL-MCS
(Try the arpa address w/ and w/o the quotes, I have had much trouble with both.)

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