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From: grodberg@kodak.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: pointer debate raging on...
Message-ID: <826@kodak.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Apr-87 19:58:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: kodak.826
Posted: Tue Apr 28 19:58:12 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Apr-87 01:49:19 EDT
References: <149@sds.UUCP> <31@thirdi.UUCP> <17498@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: grodberg@kodak.UUCP (Jeremy Grodberg)
Organization: Eastman Kodak Co, Rochester, NY
Lines: 29
Keywords: pointers, religion, sin, Ritchie, razor blades, etc.

In article <17498@sun.uucp> guy%gorodish@Sun.COM (Guy Harris) writes:
>>... we use a
>> specifically typed nil pointer for each and every type.
>> This method has stood us in good stead (except when we have foolishly
>> violated it) in porting a source-level debugger to over 70 different
>> systems - not all of which were done by followers of the True Faith.
>
>Umm, err, it's not a matter of "faith", so the use of terms connoting
>religion is inappropriate and somewhat irritating here.  K&R is quite
>clear on this matter; if somebody doesn't "believe in" K&R (or ANSI
>C), they're perfectly welcome to implement some language that does
>things otherwise, they're just not welcome to call it C.

     Unfortunately, a lot of compiler writers have produced compilers which
they think are C and sell as C, but are not C.  I have worked with enough
brain-damaged pseudo-C compilers masquerading as real C compilers to appreciate
any advice which will help make code transportable to sub-standard compilers
while not harming compatiblity with real C compilers.  Explicitly casting
nil pointers should not cause any problem on real C compilers (if 0 represents
a proper nil pointer, than casting 0 to a pointer should not have any effect
at all), yet it can certainly looks like it will keep most of the pseudo-C 
compilers from breaking.
    Yes, we can't make everything work everywhere, but it doesn't really hurt
to write compiler tolerant code, and the butt you save may be your own.
-- 
          Jeremy Grodberg

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