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From: ndiamond@watdaisy.UUCP (Norman Diamond)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: The wonders of C (=/==)
Message-ID: <7157@watdaisy.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Mar-85 12:54:07 EST
Article-I.D.: watdaisy.7157
Posted: Fri Mar 29 12:54:07 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Mar-85 00:55:09 EST
References: <9436@brl-tgr.ARPA> <12@rtp47.UUCP> <> <323@cubsvax.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 24

> The "save keystrokes"  assumption comes from p17 of K&R: 
> 
> 	Since assignment is about twice as frequent as equality testing
> 	in typical C programs, it's appropriate that the operator be
> 	half as long.
> 
> ...which I never was tempted to take as anything but a cute little quip,
> and perhaps a subtle dig at PASCAL.  In these latter days, it would
> no doubt be postpended with a ":-)".

It may have been a subtle dig at ALGOL, but the inventors of C and PASCAL
probably knew very little about each other at the time they made such
decisions.  In fact I think C predates PASCAL by a year or two, but don't
know how to tell for sure.

-- 

   Norman Diamond

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"Opinions are those of the keyboard, and do not reflect on me or higher-ups."