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From: diamond@tkou02.enet.dec.com (diamond@tkovoa)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Problems with IBM RS6000 C compiler
Message-ID: <1893@tkou02.enet.dec.com>
Date: 6 Aug 90 07:52:09 GMT
References: <476@mtndew.UUCP>
Reply-To: diamond@tkou02.enet.dec.com (diamond@tkovoa)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Japan , Tokyo
Lines: 20

In article <476@mtndew.UUCP> friedl@mtndew.UUCP (Stephen J. Friedl) writes:
>Hi folks,
Hi Steve.  Say hello to Jeff for me.

>	extern int stat(char *filename, struct stat *stptr);
>Shouldn't the "filename" argument be const qualified?

Suppose someone has a call of the form
  x = stat("myfile", &my_stat);
or
  x = stat(my_mallocked_buffer_p, &my_stat);

stat is not defined by ANSI, so either way, it would not violate ANSI.
But if const is included, it would break a lot of code that presently
works under Unix(tm) operating system.  (I'm not sure what Posix(tm?)
standards say.)  'Fraid I have to disagree with Karl Heuer's answer!

-- 
Norman Diamond, Nihon DEC     diamond@tkou02.enet.dec.com
This is me speaking.  If you want to hear the company speak, you need DECtalk.