Newsgroups: comp.std.c
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: __STDC__ and non-strictly conforming ANSI C compilers
Message-ID: <1988Dec18.041825.791@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <3236@pegasus.ATT.COM> <9167@smoke.BRL.MIL> <12643@bellcore.bellcore.com> <9187@smoke.BRL.MIL> <11005@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> <12666@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 88 04:18:25 GMT

In article <12666@bellcore.bellcore.com> sjs@ctt.bellcore.com (Stan Switzer) writes:
>The important question is whether a __STDC__ compiler can be counted
>upon to compile strictly conforming programs.  The following fragment
>illustrates my point:
>
>	# include <stdlib.h>
>	int near( int i, int j ) {
>		return ( abs(i-j) < 10 );
>	}
>
>If "near" is a reserved keyword this will not compile even though it
>is strictly conforming...

Actually, it might, depending on your definition of "reserved keyword".
A truly devious compiler might turn off its predefined meaning for "near"
if "near" was encountered in a context indicating that the user was using
it himself.  (It is admitted that the ice might be thin here. :-))  This
would provide magic keywords *without* breaking standard conformance.
-- 
"God willing, we will return." |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
-Eugene Cernan, the Moon, 1972 | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu