Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c:12059 comp.os.vms:8246
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!teknowledge-vaxc!mkhaw
From: mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Mike Khaw)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: VMS C file type and stdio - help!
Message-ID: <24588@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
Date: 24 Aug 88 17:13:46 GMT
References: <613@philmds.UUCP>
Organization: Teknowledge, Inc., Palo Alto CA
Lines: 20

> P.S. Why in the first place couldn't they leave the library functions
> alone, instead of 'adding all those nice features' (see also extra
> format types in printf, etc.)? The least they (DEC) should have done is
> warn inadvertent users of possible portability problems. Lucky me to

The VMS C compiler does have a "/standard=portable" switch that makes
the compiler check for non-portable constructs.  However, the VMS
implementation of stdio.h DOES NOT PASS the portability check, so the
signal/noise ratio of the portability warning messages is pretty low
for a large class of C programs (is it significant that the default for
the compiler is /standard=noportable?).  You'd think they would write
the "standard" .h files in such a way that they'd pass the portability
checks; e.g., via #ifdefs.

I'm a lot happier since I stopped programming on VMS!

Mike Khaw
-- 
internet: mkhaw@teknowledge.arpa
uucp:	  {uunet|sun|ucbvax|decwrl|uw-beaver}!mkhaw%teknowledge.arpa
hardcopy: Teknowledge Inc, 1850 Embarcadero Rd, POB 10119, Palo Alto, CA 94303