Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!munnari!natmlab!theo From: theo@natmlab.dms.oz (Theo ten Brummelaar) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: Motivation behind a particular piece of code in cpp Message-ID: <1963@natmlab.dms.oz> Date: Thu, 26-Nov-87 00:59:45 EST Article-I.D.: natmlab.1963 Posted: Thu Nov 26 00:59:45 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 29-Nov-87 20:52:43 EST References: <981@gumby.UUCP> Reply-To: theo@nifty.UUCP (Theo Ten Brumelaar) Organization: /usr/local/lib/news/organization Lines: 37 Keywords: cpp, static, STATIC In article <981@gumby.UUCP> uday@mips.UUCP (Uday Kurkure) writes: } I do not understand the motivation behind a following declaration } found in the sources of cpp. } } #define STATIC } If STATIC is defined to be null, why would one use it in declarations ? I don't know about you but when I'm working on a large programme over the space of a few months I tend to forget what I intend for some variables. Surely this is just another way of adding comments to code. I would guess that whoever wrote the code you refer to does it for the same reason that other people use defines like ; #define FAST register #define COUNT int #define GLOBAL extern #define IMPORT extern and so on. I always thought the good thing about writting in C is that you can make it look and feel like what ever you are most comfortable with. Then again, maybe the compiler they were working on had static as default and thus did not have a keyword 'static' implimented at all. Theo ten Brummelaar ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- C.S.I.R.O. Division of Applied Physics , Linfield , Sydney , Australia. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time flies like an arrow , fruit flies like an orange. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACSnet: theo@natmlab CSNET: theo@natmlab.oz ARPA: theo%natmlab.oz@uunet.uu.net JANET: natmlab.oz!theo@ukc UUCP:{enea,hplabs,mcvax,prlb2,uunet,ubc-vision,ukc}!munnari!natmlab.oz!theo ----------------------------------------------------------------------------