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From: dml@rabbit1.UUCP (David Langdon)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Pet peeve #1473
Message-ID: <368@rabbit1.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 28-Aug-87 08:12:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: rabbit1.368
Posted: Fri Aug 28 08:12:39 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Sep-87 02:33:47 EDT
References: <9001@brl-adm.ARPA>
Organization: Rabbit Software Corp., Malvern PA
Lines: 24

in article <9001@brl-adm.ARPA>, ultra!wayne@ames.arpa (Wayne Hathaway) says:
> 
> No flame against the poster, but when I saw the following come by
> today it reminded me of what I think is the absolute *WORST* of the
> "UNIX philosophy":
> 
>>>>>  #define STRERR()  ((errno >=0 && errno < sys_nerr) ? \
>>>>>                     sys_errlist[errno] : "Unknown error")
> 
> What's wrong with this?  Simply that it doesn't tell you what the
> unknown value of errno *IS*!  When  I first saw code like this in
> "perror" itself I absolutely could not believe it.  Sure it takes a
> miniscule amount more work to print "Unknown error 666."
> 
>       Wayne Hathaway                  ultra!wayne@Ames.ARPA

Not only doesn't it tell you what the problem was, it also will not get
through the preprocessor under some of the older UNIX dialects.

-- 
David Langdon    Rabbit Software Corp.
(215) 647-0440   7 Great Valley Parkway East  Malvern PA 19355

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