Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!silver!hughes
From: hughes@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (larry hughes)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: pronunciation of *
Message-ID: <29664@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Date: 14 Nov 89 23:01:33 GMT
References: <5047@yarra.oz.au> <9945@attctc.Dallas.TX.US> <1234@unify.UUCP> <17292@rpp386.cactus.org>
Sender: hughes@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (larry hughes)
Reply-To: hughes@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (larry hughes)
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Lines: 26

In article <17292@rpp386.cactus.org> woody@rpp386.cactus.org (Woodrow Baker) writes:
>When I first got started with 'C' I had a &^$%^* (ha) of a time understanding
>pointers.  It only became clear when my guru (all beginning 'C'ers need a guru)
>told me to pronounce it as    'at'   It would have made a lot more sense
>for K & R to have defined    '@' to be the indirection operator, since it is
>not used, and since it unloads the '*' a bit, but it was not done.
>
>char * pointer   ====>verbalizes as    char at pointer    which clearly
>states the concept.
>

They used '*' and pronounced it 'at' for the same reason that they
used 'mv' to 'rename a file' (as most people describe it)...so everyone
would a guru, thereby ensuring job security!

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