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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!allegra!alan
From: alan@allegra.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: mixing pointers and arrays
Message-ID: <1737@allegra.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Aug-83 16:20:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: allegra.1737
Posted: Fri Aug 12 16:20:06 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Aug-83 03:27:17 EDT
References: <961@rlgvax.UUCP>, <673@watcgl.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
Lines: 27

Someone asked for comments about the idea of being allowed to pass
arrays (real arrays, not pointers) as arguments to functions.

I love it!

I would like to say things like

	main() {
		int array1[10], array2[10];

		array1 = array2;

		f(&array1);	/* Call f with the address of array1. */
		g(array2);	/* Call g with array2. */
	}

Arrays should behave like structures.  After all, an array is just a
structure whose elements are of the same type.  (Or, conversely, a
structure is just an array whose elements are not of the same type.)

Unfortunately, I can't see this ever happening, even though it would
make the language more consistent, more powerful, and more elegant.
Too bad.


	Alan Driscoll
	Bell Labs, Murray Hill