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From: alexis@reed.UUCP (Alexis Dimitriadis)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: goto variables?
Message-ID: <986@reed.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 25-Feb-85 04:52:05 EST
Article-I.D.: reed.986
Posted: Mon Feb 25 04:52:05 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Mar-85 05:57:54 EST
References: <8349@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon
Lines: 28

> > 	main()
> > 	{
> > 		int *a;
> > 
> > 	b:
> > 		a = b;
> > 		printf("a = 0x%x\n", a);
> > 	}
> > 
> > (NOTE: This was compiled under 4.2BSD on a -750)
> > 
> > This compiles and runs perfectly.  However, when adding an obvious statement
> > (namely, "goto *a") it won't let us compile it.  It seems like the compiler
> > will *almost* let us do this.
> > 
> > What I want to know is, "can this be easily added to the language?",
> > "Is it a reasonable thing to add?".  Comments anyone?
> 
> Technically it is illegal to assign `a=b', [...]
> Try using setjmp/longjmp to do this.
> 

  Is it a reasonable thing to add?  A goto that uses a variable like
would be the equivalent of a calculated goto (or something like that) in
Fortran.  I doubt the C language needs a lot of gotos.

alx
PS Sorry for the long context quote.