Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rpi!batcomputer!cornell!johnhlee From: johnhlee@CS.Cornell.EDU (John H. Lee) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer Subject: Re: Compiler code (was a flame fest) Message-ID: <1991Apr16.183638.12808@cs.cornell.edu> Date: 16 Apr 91 18:36:38 GMT References: <1991Apr2.100807.13471@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <1991Apr16.001748.26530@uncecs.edu> Sender: news@cs.cornell.edu (USENET news user) Reply-To: johnhlee@cs.cornell.edu (John H. Lee) Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853 Lines: 30 Nntp-Posting-Host: oboe.cs.cornell.edu In article <1991Apr16.001748.26530@uncecs.edu> urjlew@uncecs.edu (Rostyk Lewyckyj) writes: [...] >If a language causes this much controversy in just a variable/constant >declaration, and does not define any specific order for evaluations, >and does not have all the arithmetic operators (e.g. power), and >does not have a computed go to (for branch tables) .... >How can it have such a zealous cult following of true believers? >How is it that an glorified assembler for the DEC PDP 11 has become >the language of choice for assembler hating CS students? 1) The controversy is minor, and deals with a relatively new keyword in the language ("const".) 2) The C language specifies a *very* a clear order for evaluations. May I suggest you read the book by Kernighan and Ritchie, _The C Programming Language_. 3) The power arithmetic operator can be a relatively complex operation to execute efficiently and best left in a library along with the trancendental functions. There is no lack of arithmetic operators that you suggest. 4) In a structured language such as C, a multi-way branch statement (i.e., the 'switch' statement) is the proper method, not a computed goto (however, the compiler is free to implement the switch statement as such.) 5) I love assembler. Assembler (for several different CPU's) was my first language; BASIC was my second. However C is my favorite. The language of choice for assembler-hating CS students is Pascal, not C. The language of choice to do actual work, however, is C. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The DiskDoctor threatens the crew! Next time on AmigaDos: The Next Generation. John Lee Internet: johnhlee@cs.cornell.edu The above opinions of those of the user, and not of this machine.