Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!umd5!brl-adm!adm!V4039%TEMPLEVM.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
From: V4039%TEMPLEVM.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Stan Horwitz)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: power operator
Message-ID: <11182@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: 8 Jan 88 15:44:01 GMT
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
Lines: 32

Gus Baird suggest's that C might not have been given a power operator so as
to make the point (to programming students) that some operators such as
the power operator require some overhead.  Yes I know that many computer
processor chips have multiplication built right in.  In any case, I very
much doubt that C's lack of a power operator stems from a desire to prove
a point to computer science students.
As I am reading output from this group, the purpose of C is not to teach
programmers programming as was Pascal, but to get the job done.  Many
suggestions have been offered as to how to use math.h functions for power
operations, but a strange thing has occurred.  There seems to be a difference
of opinion on the subject.  How can this be?  The fact of the matter is, if
C's purpose is to get the job done, then inclusion of a power operator is
a reasonable expectation.  I am not a systems programmer nor do I ever plan
to be one.  Systems programming is not my cup of tea.  I am interested in
applying C to writing statistical applications software.  As such a power
operator would be very nice.  Since I am not a compiler writer, I don't
really care what the ramifications involving the inclusion of a power
operator are as long as there is one available for my use.  Just as with
the + and * operators for addition and subtraction, I really don't care
all that much how they are implemented as long as they work to my expectations.
The same goes for the power operator.  My suggestion is to make the symbol
for the power operator *^ which in a way tells what it does.
   If some of you out there prefer a language which illustrates programming
techniques and idealism for teaching purposes, I suggest you use Pascal which
was designed for the purpose of teaching students of programming how to
program.  That is why := is used and probably why the language is so verbose.
As I am sure many people will agree, C is not a language one uses to teach
introductory programming.  It is meant for production not education and I hope
this will continue to be true of C.
   Thanks for listening ... Stan Horwitz V4039 AT TEMPLEVM over in snow covered

Philadelphia.