Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ll-xn!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!fluke!kurt
From: kurt@tc.fluke.COM (Kurt Guntheroth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Amiga programmer's hint $14
Message-ID: <3042@fluke.COM>
Date: 3 Mar 88 16:25:13 GMT
References: <4230019@hpfclq.HP.COM> <340@sas.UUCP> <707@mcdsun.UUCP> <319@jc3b21.UUCP>
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Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Lines: 16

I used to think a cast was a way to unlock the type system in C too, but it
turns out not to be.  A cast is a type conversion operator and a cast can
generate code.  For instance, 

    int foo;
    float bar;

    bar = (float) foo;

should generate code to convert foo to a float.  Furthermore, the result of
a cast is an rvalue.  That is why you can't always use casts on the left
side of an assignment.  Now, some compilers, like the BSD vax compiler
permit this, but others, like the Sun compiler, do not.  (Talking to Sun
service is how I learned about casts.)  There is a relevant chapter and
verse in K&R too.  Anyone remember where it is?

Oh, by the way, this discussion has also been on comp.lang.c.