Checksum: 48321
Lines: 17
Path: utzoo!sq!msb
From: msb@sq.uucp (Mark Brader)
Date: Thu, 4-Feb-88 22:39:03 EST
Message-ID: <1988Feb4.223903.1105@sq.uucp>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: == vs =
Summary: Blame ASCII
References: <11523@brl-adm.ARPA> <1202@eneevax.UUCP>
Reply-To: msb@sq.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto

All you people arguing about "=" for assignment vs "=" for equality are
missing something.  The REAL problem is that the people who gave us ASCII
thought that a 7-bit character set could be large enough!

What is obviously wanted if a natural, 1-character assignment operator
*and* a natural, 1-character equality operator.

Proof by example: APL.  But to achieve a sufficient number of graphic
symbols there, they sacrificed the upper-and-lower case distinction.
(Some would say APL has too many symbols, but better too many than too few.
It still has many fewer than mathematical notation.)

Now, could we please get this topic *off* talk.religion.c?  If you want a
2-character assignment operator, please go find (or create) another language.

Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com
#define	MSB(type)	(~(((unsigned type)-1)>>1))