Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!ihnp4!ihlpf!nevin1 From: nevin1@ihlpf.ATT.COM (00704a-Liber) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++ Subject: Re: C++ file name extensions Message-ID: <4676@ihlpf.ATT.COM> Date: 6 May 88 23:35:54 GMT References: <2757@calmasd.GE.COM> Reply-To: nevin1@ihlpf.UUCP (00704a-Liber,N.J.) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois Lines: 38 Keywords: C++ file name extensions In article <2757@calmasd.GE.COM> pal@calmasd.GE.COM (Peter Lawrence) writes: >How about using the same extensions as C. The intention of Bjourn Stroustroup >as stated in the beginning of his book is that the C++ language is fully >upward compatable with C. This is not true! It is *almost* a superset, but there are a number of situations where this is not true. Whether C++ can ever be a proper superset of C remains to be seen (especially since C is changing right now). If this were true, then why is there a section in the C++ book about incompatabilities with C (I'd quote some but I have loaned out my book)? >Users should be replacing their C compilers with >C++ compilers. Only if you are conforming to C++ in your C programs. For a lot of existing C code, this extra pass maybe useless, or might even break existing C code. >This may not be happening immediately because of various >temporary difficulties but it is obviously the direction of the future. Maybe. Although the original intention was to make C++ a 'better C', only the future will tell if this goal is still reasonable. >Implementors should not be locking users into maintaining two compilers and >their associated intricacies with 'make' etc. when one compiler will do. The implementors' aren't locking users into anything; it's the people who don't think it's worth converting millions of lines of existing C code just so it will pass the C++ translator/compiler cleanly and w/o error. If you are volunteering to do this task for all of us who have to maintain C code, please let us know. :-) -- _ __ NEVIN J. LIBER ..!ihnp4!ihlpf!nevin1 (312) 510-6194 ' ) ) "The secret compartment of my ring I fill / / _ , __o ____ with an Underdog super-energy pill." / (_