Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!bu.edu!mirror!ima!haddock!karl
From: karl@haddock.ima.isc.com (Karl Heuer)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: VMS Specific question about binary reads using fgetc
Message-ID: <16988@haddock.ima.isc.com>
Date: 28 Jun 90 22:42:41 GMT
References: <U254O51@xds13.ferranti.com> <2133@mindlink.UUCP> <.X94JD6@xds13.ferranti.com> <686@illini.osc.edu>
Reply-To: karl@haddock.ima.isc.com (Karl Heuer)
Organization: Interactive Systems, Cambridge, MA 02138-5302
Lines: 19

In article <686@illini.osc.edu> djh@osc.edu (David Heisterberg) writes:
>In article <.X94JD6@xds13.ferranti.com>, peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>> The existing syntax, "#include <stdio.h>" was already perfectly well
>> suited for those semantics.
>
>Then use it.  It works just fine.  I don't understand what you're complaining
>about.  VMS often has include-like files in text libraries, and the VAX C
>extension to #include takes advantage of that.

The point is, there was no need to invent a syntax extension.  DEC should have
simply asserted that `#include <stdio.h>' searches a text library in addition
to a directory.  That way, we all get the benefit of the speed advantage, and
DEC wouldn't now be in the embarrassing position of having a feature that is
in direct conflict with the ANSI C `#include MACRONAME' feature.

(It was a botch to use angle brackets as well as quotes in the first place,
but it's way too late to correct that.)

Karl W. Z. Heuer (karl@kelp.ima.isc.com or ima!kelp!karl), The Walking Lint