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From: bader#@andrew.cmu.edu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: C and Floating Point (really parentheses)
Message-ID: <kUSjqey00WABcJA0Nr@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Wed, 8-Apr-87 20:47:22 EST
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Posted: Wed Apr  8 20:47:22 1987
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To: outnews#ext.nn.comp.lang.c@andrew.cmu.edu
In-Reply-To: <6748@brl-adm.ARPA>

Since no one using C these days depends on parentheses forcing order
of evaluation, and lots of people use parentheses loving macros, why
not introduce another set of parentheses that *does* force order of
evaluation.  That way, order-of-evaluation weenies (:-) will have
their way and their code won't look like C (since they obviously want
to be programming in fortran), and no-one else will know the
difference (and existing code will still run as fast).

I suggest for the new parentheses:  @ and $ (BUT OH MY GOD!  MAYBE
THAT WOULD BREAK VMS SYSTEMS!!!  :-O).  So the expressions (as
recently posted):
    x = ((one + x * a) - one) * 16.0;
    y = x / ((half + x * half) *((half - x) + half));
    x = (x + eight) - eight;
    while (((b+one)-b)-one == zero);
    if ((a+betam1)-a != zero)
    if ((one - a) - one != zero)
    y2 = (y/two + y) - y;
    w = zz * xsq/(den*(den-one));
    w = (x - zz) + w;
    w = ((half-zz) + half) * ((half + zz) + half);
Would look like:
    x = @@one + x * a$ - one$ * 16.0;
    y = x / @@half + x * half$ *@@half - x$ + half$$;
    x = @x + eight$ - eight;
    while (@@b+one$-b)-one == zero$;
    if (@a+betam1)-a != zero$
    if (@one - a) - one != zero$
    y2 = @y/two + y$ - y;
    w = zz * xsq/@den*@den-one$$;
    w = @x - zz$ + w;
    w = @@half-zz$ + half$ * @@half + zz$ + half$;

Sorry for the tone of this message, but I'm getting sick of hearing
the cries of people who want to break the language to suit a
community which is a small fraction of the whole.  This is C, people,
like it or not.  If you want another language, use another language.

					-Miles