Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpda!hp-sde!hpfcdc!hpislx!hplvla!hplvly!boyne From: boyne@hplvly.HP.COM (Art Boyne) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c Subject: Re: Varibale (length) argument lists (Re: C vs. FORTRAN) Message-ID: <3950010@hplvly.HP.COM> Date: 12 Jul 88 15:45:58 GMT References: <1037@ficc.UUCP> Organization: HP Loveland Inst Div, CO Lines: 19 > rrr@naucse.UUCP (Bob Rose ) writes: > In article <5234@ihlpf.ATT.COM>, nevin1@ihlpf.ATT.COM (00704a-Liber) writes: > > Security in FORTRAN (with respect to calling conventions)?? Look at the > > > > subroutine foo(j) > > j = 5 > > end > > ... > > call foo(1) > > > > Oh boy! You must be using some sort of new compiler. The old one's (not > all of course) would after running this code change _all_ integer constants > of value 1 to value 5. Try debugging the code after that occurs. Bob is right - I remember spending over a week tracking down just this sort of behavior when taking a compiler class back in college. It caused an infinite loop in a memory clearing routine, wiping out all relevant variable values! Art Boyne, ...!hplabs!hplvly!boyne