Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:2637 comp.sources.d:2432 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mit-eddie!killer!tness7!tness1!splut!jay From: jay@splut.UUCP (Jay "you ignorant splut!" Maynard) Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.sources.d Subject: Re: Something's Broken: was ... Re: tgetent Keywords: tgetent,core dump,sco,xenix,large model Message-ID: <584@splut.UUCP> Date: 10 Jul 88 01:30:36 GMT References: <54@libove.UUCP> <701@nod2sco> <3222@bigtex.uucp> <1033@ficc.UUCP> <19789@watmath.waterloo.edu> Reply-To: jay@splut.UUCP (Jay "you ignorant splut!" Maynard) Distribution: comp Organization: Confederate Microsystems, League City, TX Lines: 32 In article <19789@watmath.waterloo.edu> rwwetmore@math.Uwaterloo.ca (Ross Wetmore) writes: > The assumption that pointers and ints are of equal length is the >problem, no? This is a fundamental assumption of the 'C' language, >if not an explicit requirement. NO!!!!! Before I let the wizards in comp.lang.c (Doug Gwyn, Chris Torek, Karl Heuer, and Henry Spencer come immediately to mind) shred this statement, I'll point a flame at it: C does NOT require that pointers and integers be interchangeable. Any attempt to do so is inherently non-portable. That some folks (most notably, those from the school of "All the world's a VAX running BSD") get away with that is a crying shame, for it makes the rest of us have innumerable problems attempting to port their code. > It would be unfair to fault either the architecture, or compiler in >this case. It just means the 'C' language was designed for a certain >class of hardware and thus has limited use in its pristine (unkludged) >form. You're right; the real blame lies with the (incompetent) programmer. Both the language and the architecture do their job just fine, thank you. (Note to Peter: Me, defending C??!?!!) -- Jay Maynard, EMT-P, K5ZC...>splut!< | Never ascribe to malice that which can uucp: uunet!nuchat! | adequately be explained by stupidity. hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!splut!jay +---------------------------------------- {killer,bellcore}!tness1! | Birthright Party '88: let's get spaced!