Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!mmdf
From: ARCHER@segin4.segin.fr
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: float VS double: The return...
Message-ID: <16383@nigel.udel.EDU>
Date: 10 Apr 90 15:34:12 GMT
Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU
Lines: 40

Christoph van Wuellen <HBO043@DJUKFA11.BITNET> says:

CvW> ... WHAT ABOUT
CvW> test(a) float a;
CvW> {
CvW> test1(&a);
CvW> }
CvW> This certainly passes a pointer to a double, and this can't be changed.
CvW> So I ask the C Syntax experts - what do you think a compiler should do
CvW> in both cases?

I don't think for my compiler :-), but a compiles as a double (sizeof being 8),
and *a in test1 has nothing near the same value as a in test:

    test(a) float a;
    {
    a = 0.1;
    printf("%f\n", a);
    test1(&a);
    }

    test1(a) float *a;
    {
    printf("%f\n", *a;
    }

said:

0.1
1.45000


It seems that most compilers do the same kind of thing. So if your compiler
enables the user to do some mistakes, you'll lose portability: The program will
work compiled with C68, and not with any other compiler. What's more important?


    Vincent Archer

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