Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!brl-adm!brl-smoke!gwyn
From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: abs (was: volatile isn't necessary, but it's there)
Message-ID: <7629@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: 8 Apr 88 11:49:06 GMT
References: <7794@alice.UUCP> <10068@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 22

In article <10068@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> lvc@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Lawrence V. Cipriani) writes:
>Yes.  I was shocked when I read that abs() was taken out of <math.h> and
>more so when I read the reason.  abs() was removed from <math.h> because
>some compilers will create executable images with unused floating point
>routines in them <math.h> is included.
>
>Flame on: Of all the stupid things I read in the draft this takes the
>cake.  Why don't the vendors fix their stupid compilers and leave the
><math.h> users alone!  Come on!  abs() is a math function and <math.h>
>is where it belongs!

Well, if <math.h> is where it belongs, why isn't it there on UNIX
systems?

All you have uncovered is an error in the Rationale document.
abs() was never in <math.h>, not in UNIX and not in the /usr/group
1984 Standard which served as the base document for the library.

I will ask the Rationale editor to correct his document.

P.S.  I don't know of anybody who uses the abs() library routine;
we all use a macro instead.  I would be happy if abs() were not
required at all.