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From: gwl@rruxa.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: learning C declaration syntax
Message-ID: <303@rruxa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 31-Aug-87 09:26:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: rruxa.303
Posted: Mon Aug 31 09:26:53 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 2-Sep-87 01:02:47 EDT
References: <8877@brl-adm.ARPA> <8088@mimsy.UUCP> <1623@tekchips.TEK.COM> <2305@xanth.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research
Lines: 57
Summary: Why limit potential?

In article <2305@xanth.UUCP>, kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan) writes:
> _something_ confusing (wrong?) with C's way of doing declarations.
> 
> My own guess is that it is just much too general purpose.  One of the
> early lessons embedded into the design of Ada, and in fact mandated in
> the procurement document, is that making something easy (in the sense
> of terse) to write is a long term loser in trying to get maintainable
> (read easy to understand) code.  It would probably have made much more
> sense to mandate for C the multiple typedef sort of declarations that
> several correspondents have mentioned that they use to keep themselves
> sane while writing complex C declarations, even at the cost of many
> extra keystrokes.
>

          When we have enough real life experience with Ada, then we
shall see just how effective a tool that language is.  For now, we 
have enough evidence on C.

> 
> C was designed by a couple of the top programmers of this century,
> working in a shop full of their peers.  Things that seemed easy and
> natural to them seem difficult and obscure to those of us more toward
> the average in ability.  One usually designs tools for the average
> user, not the super user, but that wasn't the case for C.  Many
> problems with C are easier to explain from that perspective.
>

      So, why put limits on those who don't need them?  C is flexible.
Try doing some of the things that C is capable with a language such as
Pascal!!!!  If you do not feel comfortable with certain programming
constructs, then stay away from them, but don't force the rest of us
to do so just because you want to.

> 
> Also, as shown by the program names in Unix(tm), they surely hated to
> type!  ;-)
>
     Many a one fingered typist thanks them.  As for me I can beat the
secretaries is speed races and it makes me twice as fast as when I
used VM/CMS!!!!!

> 
> Kent, the man from xanth.


George W. Leach

Bell Communications Research      New Jersey Institute of Technology 
444 Hoes Lane       4A-1129       Computer & Information Sciences Dept.
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(201) 699-8639

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