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From: rs@mirror.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Orphaned Response
Message-ID: <6000001@mirror.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-May-85 16:30:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: mirror.6000001
Posted: Tue May 28 16:30:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 31-May-85 04:46:02 EDT
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Nf-ID: #R:ihdev:-22600:mirror:6000001:177600:689
Nf-From: mirror!rs    May 28 16:30:00 1985



Yeah, "an array==pointer" is at the heart of C, sort of.  It is only
true when "array" is being passed or received as a parameter.  In this
case, the C automatically changes all array names (e.g., foo(arr))
into addresses of the first element (e.g., foo(&arr[0])).

Why?  Well, I think history had something to do with it.  The
first versions of C had no structures or longs.  Everything fit on
the stack.  'You say arrays don't fit?  Well then, let's just state
that "array==pointer,"' I can hear the Wizard of New Jersey say,
as they huddled around their pdp7...  I think that B and BCPL (father
and grandfather of C*) didn't really support arrays, just pointers
and memory locations.