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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmath.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!atbowler
From: atbowler@watmath.UUCP (Alan T. Bowler [SDG])
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: YAAO  (yet another assignment operator)
Message-ID: <10983@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 01:59:44 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.10983
Posted: Fri Jan 18 01:59:44 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jan-85 03:04:00 EST
References: <209@cmu-cs-k.ARPA> <529@vu44.UUCP> <4654@rochester.UUCP> <508@ncoast.UUCP>
Reply-To: atbowler@watmath.UUCP (Alan T. Bowler [SDG])
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 11
Summary: 

Just a bit of history.  The original B compiler (the one that evolved
into the Unix C compiler), had more assignment operators.
Back then the form was = (i.e. =+ =- =& etc).
The operators ===, =<, =>, =<=, and =>= were present.
They were indpendantly dropped by both Waterloo (in subsequent B compilers),
and by Bell Labs in the evolving C compiler.  The reason was simply
that they were never used and made for language clutter.
    The is of course the small point that trying to support every
case of = means that "<=" becomes ambiguous.
(i.e. a<=b can then mean "set a to 0 if the current value of a is
greater than or equal to b)