Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!news From: melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++ Subject: Re: Cardinal numbers or unsigned int.. Message-ID: Date: 26 May 90 07:12:02 GMT References: <1990May25.193305.14920@Neon.Stanford.EDU> Sender: news@cs.psu.edu (Usenet) Distribution: comp Organization: Penn State University Computer Science Lines: 40 In-Reply-To: philip@Kermit.Stanford.EDU's message of 25 May 90 19:33:05 GMT In article <1990May25.193305.14920@Neon.Stanford.EDU> philip@Kermit.Stanford.EDU (Philip Machanick) writes: In article , melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes: > > I am learning X Window and have just found out that MIT borrowed the > Cardinal type from Pascal. ^^^^^^ Don't you mean Modula-2? Philip Machanick philip@pescadero.stanford.edu Maybe it was Modula-2. I have never learned it though, so I can't be sure. I must have picked it up from somewhere because I have previously used it in my Pascal code. Anyway, doesn't it seem unsightly to see three names for exactly the same thing in C++ code. void foo(unsigned int a, u_int b, Cardinal c) { . . . } C++ is suppose to be a language for large projects. Reusability in the form of class libraries is suppose to be important(will this ever become a reality?). Although the three definitions are equivalent, mixing class libraries or code from different programmers makes the program look ugly (IMHO), if all three types declarations are used. I guess it's a question of style. I personally don't like unsigned int because it's two words and it's too long. Are there any generally accepted coding standards that are used by groups of people working on large projects(I guess MIT uses Cardinal)? -Mike