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From: tainter@ihlpg.UUCP (Tainter)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re:  questions from using lint
Message-ID: <1918@ihlpg.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-May-86 11:04:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpg.1918
Posted: Thu May 15 11:04:48 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 17-May-86 02:17:24 EDT
References: <501@brl-smoke.ARPA> <797@bentley.UUCP> <640@bunkerb.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 16

>>>And as someone pointed out, assignments return a value too, so should we
>>>cast them to void as well?  Oh yeah, assignment is `different'.
>If I say "a = b", I have clearly used the value of the expression.
> Gary Samuelson

No.  You have only used the value of the expression "b", not the expression
"a = b" (which happens, by definition, to return the value of the expression
"b").  The argument stands.  The principle behind ignoring, even meaningful,
return codes is:
    I don't have any particular response to this error so I will fall
    back on whatever default error handling the system provides.

Admittedly, this is not the desired response when what is being written is
a general tool.  ROBUSTNESS provides GENERALITY but costs DEVELOPMENT TIME.

--j.a.tainter