Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: notesfiles
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!amd!fortune!hpda!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpdsa!decot
From: decot@hpdsa.UUCP (decot)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Standardization questions --
Message-ID: <7200003@hpdsa.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 27-Oct-84 07:24:00 EST
Article-I.D.: hpdsa.7200003
Posted: Sat Oct 27 07:24:00 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Oct-84 20:27:09 EST
References: <5367@brl-tgr.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Cupertino, CA
Lines: 16
Nf-ID: #R:brl-tgr:-536700:hpdsa:7200003:000:785
Nf-From: hpdsa!decot    Oct 20 20:24:00 1984


A solution to this problem is suggested by the comment style of Ada, which
is that portions of lines beginning with '--' are ignored.  Since
this would be rather unacceptable in C, and we want the preprocessor to
handle it, the rule that leaps to mind is:

    Lines or portions of lines beginning with '##' are ignored, except
    within single or double quotes, or within the /* other kind of */ comment.
    This rule applies even if the remainder of the line contains '/*'.

Voila!  No problems with nesting, and it's always immediately obvious whether
a line is commented out, if you use consistently use only ## in new programs.
This also has the advantage that all existing correct sources would remain
correct, which is not true under comment nesting.

Dave Decot  hpda!decot