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: "C" wish list. Message-ID: <6117@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 20:14:09 EST Article-I.D.: utzoo.6117 Posted: Mon Nov 4 20:14:09 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 4-Nov-85 20:14:09 EST References: <335@graffiti.UUCP> <6071@utzoo.UUCP>, <367@graffiti.UUCP> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 30 > > ... It's also of limited (although non-zero) usefulness. > > So are enums, and they're there... Right you are, they're there. They are ALREADY THERE. This is a key distinction. Somewhat silly though they are, they are in the language and in real implementations of it already. This is a strong reason why they should be kept while other mildly interesting notions aren't. Actually, I understand that there was a significant faction within X3J11 that wanted to scrap them anyway. > Because, once again, it's a straightforward extension of current syntax. Many things are straightforward extensions of current syntax. That is not necessarily a virtue. > Question: doesn't anyone else have a wish-list of their own? Yeah, the following: 1. A published C standard standardizing the EXISTING LANGUAGE, that is to say K&R and not much else, with everyone's pet neat ideas LEFT OUT. I class the current X3J11 drafts as only marginally meeting this specification; there has been some creeping featurism. 2. A shift to suggesting neat ideas for C++ (or C++++), leaving C alone as a stable base. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry