Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!cmcl2!adm!smoke!gwyn
From: gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Bad/broken compilers - how prevalent?
Message-ID: <15315@smoke.brl.mil>
Date: 25 Feb 91 16:46:15 GMT
References: <3667@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.UUCP>
Organization: U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, APG, MD.
Lines: 17

In article <3667@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.UUCP> carroll@ssc-vax.UUCP (Jeff Carroll) writes:
>	Are most C compilers broken in significant ways?

Most C compilers that I've encountered work fairly well, having only
a few occasional bugs that can usually be avoided once they are known.

>	Why do most FORTRAN compilers seem to be basically
>functional, when C compilers on the same machines are hosed?

I haven't noticed much difference in quality between Fortran and C
compilers.  I've seen similar bugs in most of them.

>	What could I do (or implore my employer to do) to improve my
>luck?

You could specify standard conformance as an essential constraint for
procurement of C implementations, and hold the vendors to it.