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From: nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Really Dumb Suggestion
Message-ID: <172@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Apr-84 17:01:18 EST
Article-I.D.: utastro.172
Posted: Fri Apr 20 17:01:18 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Apr-84 08:49:12 EST
Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 28

[]
I recently suggested, with respect to using C for numerical
calculations, that an exponentiation operator would be a
helpful addition to the language.  I suggested "**" and,
without thinking about it, suggested "^" might be better.

This was dumb, as several people pointed out to me -- some
more tactfully than others.

	a**b

currently means "multiply a by the thing pointed to by b"
and I wouldn't want to change that.  Similarly,

	a^b

provides the "exclusive or" operation  -- one I don't use
very often, so I didn't think about it.

*sigh*

Mea Culpa.  Forgive me, for I knew not what I did.

-- 

                                       Ed Nather
                                       ihnp4!{ut-sally,kpno}!utastro!nather
                                       Astronomy Dept., U. of Texas, Austin