Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!leah!itsgw!steinmetz!uunet!vsi!friedl From: friedl@vsi.COM (Stephen J. Friedl) Newsgroups: comp.std.c Subject: Re: "a();" not a valid external declaration in pANS C. Message-ID: <1046@vsi.COM> Date: 7 Feb 89 07:42:30 GMT References: <46@microsoft.UUCP> <2856@epimass.EPI.COM> Organization: V-Systems, Inc. -- Santa Ana, CA Lines: 22 In article <46@microsoft.UUCP> jangr@microsoft.UUCP (Jan Gray) writes: > > pANS C accepts "int a();" and "a() {}" but not "a();", which is valid K&R C. > I am curious about the rationale behind this change. Was it "nobody really > uses that construct, and banning it simplifies the grammar"? In article <2856@epimass.EPI.COM>, jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck) writes: > > Not only does nobody use that construct intentionally, but I've seen > problems arise because of typos because of this construct. I hate to tell you this folks, but this default-type-is-int is indeed used in a wide body of C code. Check with your local archive site for recent the Obfuscated C contest entries. Steve :-) -- Stephen J. Friedl 3B2-kind-of-guy friedl@vsi.com V-Systems, Inc. I speak for you only attmail!vsi!friedl Santa Ana, CA USA +1 714 545 6442 {backbones}!vsi!friedl Nancy Reagan on these *stupid* .signatures: "Enough already, OK?"