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From: gwalker@SPCA.BBN.COM (Gail Rubin Walker)
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: Re:  VAX C bug
Message-ID: <8610310205.AA16249@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Date: Thu, 30-Oct-86 07:16:38 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8610310205.AA16249
Posted: Thu Oct 30 07:16:38 1986
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As I understand it, in earlier days of C, the constructs
+=
-=
*=
etc

were coded in the reverse form:
=+
=-
=*

and C compilers still seem to be on the lookout for the latter
form to warn you to change your program. Given that '=*', for
example, is one of those, a line like
x=*pointer;
is ambiguous. It could mean either
x =* pointer;   /* old style of *=      OR */
x = *pointer;   /* what you intended */

You don't mention what the error was that you got from compilation
but I suspect it was related to this.
Solution - put more spaces in your code. (My personal opinion is that
 its more readable with more spaces anyway.)

-- Gail Walker