Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!cmcl2!yale!husc6!Diamond!rgenter From: rgenter@Diamond.BBN.COM (Rick Genter) Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc Subject: Re: Check the Arg Count Message-ID: <3101@diamond.Diamond.BBN.COM> Date: Tue, 30-Dec-86 14:10:54 EST Article-I.D.: diamond.3101 Posted: Tue Dec 30 14:10:54 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 30-Dec-86 21:42:01 EST References: <3395@amd.UUCP> <4886@mimsy.UUCP> Organization: BBN Laboratories, Inc., Cambridge, MA Lines: 36 Summary: since when? In article <4886@mimsy.UUCP>, mangoe@mimsy.UUCP (Charley Wingate) writes: > Mike Eager writes: > > [ stuff about how lint checks for things that ccom doesn't ] > > In case you hadn't heard, compilers are not COMPELLED to allow variable > length argument lists in most languages. My personal opinion is that they > ought to be expressly forbidden unless there is some syntax that makes it > quite clear what is going on. In a single compilation, after all, this is a > static property of the code anyway (1) Bullshit. Variable length argument lists are part of C. C compilers are COMPELLED to allow variable length argument lists. Mike was referring to C. (2) Bullshit. How do you deal with printf(), scanf(), etc.? In a single compilation, it is a static property of the code that these routines need to be called with variable numbers of arguments at different points within the same program (or even the same routine). The point Mike was trying to make (I believe) is that, at least for C, there are syntax checkers (i.e., compilers) and style checkers (i.e., lint). Many languages try to define the style as part of the syntax of the language. Feh. One of the nice concepts encompassed by lint is that you can tell it that you are intentionally breaking the style "rules" (I'll readily agree that the implementation of these concepts is pretty piss poor). Try doing that in Pascal or Ada. > C. Wingate - Rick -- Rick Genter BBN Laboratories Inc. (617) 497-3848 10 Moulton St. 6/512 rgenter@bbn.COM (Internet new) Cambridge, MA 02238 rgenter@bbnj.ARPA (Internet old) seismo!bbn.com!rgenter (UUCP)