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From: jtc@van-bc.f you ar (J.T. Conklin)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: comp.unix.xenix
Keywords: cc error messages in SCO UNIX System V/386 r3.2
Message-ID: <71@van-bc.fUCP>
Date: 26 Nov 89 05:22:34 GMT
References: <529@s5.Morgan.COM> <69@van-bc.UUCP> <1989Nov25.204009.246@xenitec.on.ca> <1123@vector.Dallas.TX.US>
Reply-To: jtc@van-bc.f you ar (J.T. Conklin)
Organization: Wimsey Associates
Lines: 39

In article <1123@vector.Dallas.TX.US> chip@chinacat.Lonestar.ORG (Chip Rosenthal) writes:
>Oh yeah, don't terse error messages stink.  For example, on one system
>I get such wonderfully helpful diagnostic messages like this:
>
>ccom: Error: foo.c, line 7: foobar undefined
>          		(--( 	(&_iob[1]))->_cnt < 0 ?
>_flsbuf((unsigned char) ((foobar)), ( 	(&_iob[1]))) :
>(int) (*( 	(&_iob[1]))->_ptr++ = (unsigned char) ((foobar))));
>      -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>--------------------------------------------------------^

I guess that's the price you have pay to have a separate pre-processor.
If it was integrated to the compiler, perhaps the compiler could cashe
the line and report the following:

ccom: Error: foo.c, line 7: foobar undefined
        putchar(foobar);
      ----------^

then again, it would probably be too much of a performance hit.

>Besides, be careful what you ask for.  You might get it.  My guess is
>that folks who want compilers to correct dumb mistakes have never worked
>with one which did.

Although the one compiler I've used that repaired dumb mistakes did
an admirable job,  I'm unsure of whether or not I'd want to use one
today.  I would be certain of that if every compiler had adequate
diagnostics.

If the choice is between terse diagnostics like Microsofts, or the
potentially verbose diagnotistics like the MIPS compiler, I assure
you I'd take verbosity.

    --jtc

-- 
J.T. Conklin
	...!{uunet,ubc-cs}!van-bc!jtc, jtc@wimse