Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcdc!donn
From: donn@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Donn Terry)
Newsgroups: comp.std.c
Subject: Re: External Linkage in dpANS C
Message-ID: <12040002@hpfcdc.HP.COM>
Date: 4 Jan 89 16:32:28 GMT
References: <1339@vsi1.COM>
Organization: HP Ft. Collins, Co.
Lines: 27

You are not alone in your dislike of the 6 character monocase limit:

From IEEE 1003.2 Draft 8. (Currently in balloting.)

	9.1.11 Limits (This section is not part of IEEE std 1003.2)

	The C compiler and link editor shall support external symbols
	with a length of at least 31 bytes; symbols exceeding this length
	shall be truncatd and a diagnostic message written to standard
	error.

        [The same statement appears in 10.1.11: the Fortran compiler.]

(Before you flame...)  I believe that the location of this statement (in
a non-required "Limits" section) was not the intent, and will be changed
in balloting to a required section.  (I think this was the result of the
mechanics of editing).  I also believe the "shall be truncated" will be
changed, possibly to "may be truncated, and if this is done a diagnostic
message...".  ("Shall" wording in such a section is a bit strange...)

Assuming my conjectures above are correct, at least POSIX systems and
ones like it will not have that problem.

It is also probable that "market pressure" will help force the issue.

Donn Terry
HP Ft. Collins