Xref: utzoo comp.std.c++:290 comp.std.c:3534 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!tuvie!vmars!hp From: hp@vmars.tuwien.ac.at (Peter Holzer) Newsgroups: comp.std.c++,comp.std.c Subject: Re: Proposed Enhancement to select/case (yes, I know...) Message-ID: <1793@tuvie> Date: 4 Sep 90 21:13:50 GMT References: <1990Aug30.164610.3519@zoo.toronto.edu> Sender: news@tuvie Followup-To: comp.std.c++ Lines: 32 burley@world.std.com (James C Burley) writes: >Anyway, in case you missed it, the issue has been "decided". GNU C already >implements such a construct; and it is a widely used compiler. When the >next standard begins "happening", it will be up to the committee (with all >our input) to determine whether ranges (and lists) are useful and simple enough >to add, compared to the costs of any possible lack of portability being >introduced. No. GCC does not implement that construct (at least version 1.37.1 does not, and I think this is about the newest version (although I heard about 1.37.92 -- what's that?)), but G++ does. And the fact that ONE _C++_ compiler implements a feature is not likely to count as prior art of_C_ . >Meanwhile, I personally would not use the range feature for the above case >except in some kind of quick&dirty throwaway program. I'm looking to it >more as an elegant way to deal with natural (i.e. portable) ranges that occur >in applications, and cases where the switch (not select, as I'm wont to say >as a Fortran-90 victim) statement and it's case statements are being written >by someone who does not (or should not/doesn't want to) know the values of >#define constants for the cases (presumably kept in an #include file) but >still wants to handle ranges. Nothing wrong with that, I wouldn't think. Agreed. Ranges do have their advantages, and although I do not need them (I can use if () else if () ..., but then I do not need case (), either), I would not mind having them in a C compiler (GNU people, are you listening ?) -- | _ | Peter J. Holzer | Think of it | | |_|_) | Technische Universitaet Wien | as evolution | | | | | hp@vmars.tuwien.ac.at | in action! | | __/ | ...!uunet!mcsun!tuvie!vmars!hp | Tony Rand |