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From: aglew@ccvaxa.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Datalight faster than 4.2, why?
Message-ID: <2600061@ccvaxa>
Date: Fri, 30-May-86 14:58:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccvaxa.2600061
Posted: Fri May 30 14:58:00 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Jun-86 10:13:28 EDT
References: <989@dataioDataio.UUCP>
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Nf-From: ccvaxa.UUCP!aglew    May 30 13:58:00 1986


>/* Written  3:49 pm  May 28, 1986 by chris@umcp-cs.UUCP */
>In article <2786@utcsri.UUCP> greg@utcsri.UUCP (Gregory Smith) writes:
>>... having a separate pre-processor will slow the compiler down
>>considerably, but is it an advantage?????? It only gives you a
>>certain amount of convenience in implementing the compiler.
>
>Not so!  There is another advantage.  The preprocessor can be used
>alone, or in combination with programs other than the C compiler.
>This is the `software tools' philosophy: if you can make a clean
>conceptual break in a task, make that break programmatically; you
>then have a set of tools that may be useful in surprising ways.

Unfortunately, there is no longer a clean conceptual break between
the C pre-processor and the compiler: `sizeof' can be used in
pre-processor constant-expressions.

I very much doubt that a cpp that parses enough of C to understand
sizeof will be useful in non-C-related applications.


Andy "Krazy" Glew. Gould CSD-Urbana.    USEnet:  ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!aglew
1101 E. University, Urbana, IL 61801    ARPAnet: aglew@gswd-vms