Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!steve
From: steve@oakhill.UUCP (steve)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Language Design
Summary: Don't blame C either, blame YACC.
Message-ID: <1923@devsys.oakhill.UUCP>
Date: 20 Mar 89 17:58:51 GMT
References: <5200040@m.cs.uiuc.edu> <12443@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Organization: Motorola Inc. Austin, Tx
Lines: 38

In article <12443@watdragon.waterloo.edu>, gvcormack@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Gordon V. Cormack) writes:
> In article <5200040@m.cs.uiuc.edu>, wsmith@m.cs.uiuc.edu writes:
> > 
> > 
> > (For example, in the language I'm learning now, C++, if you forget to 
> > declare a class, it is a *syntax* error.  Not misuse of identifier or 
> > undefined class, *syntax* error.)
> > 
> 
> Don't blame C++.  Blame C.  
> 
> C is not context-free parsable [actually I believe it is, but not 
> with any sensible grammar].
> -- 
> Gordon V. Cormack     CS Dept, University of Waterloo, Canada N2L 3G1
> gvcormack@waterloo.EDU  gvcormack@uwaterloo.CA  gvcormac@water.BITNET

Don't blame C either.  The real cause of this error is a conspiracy
between the compiler writer and YACC.  YACC produces this message
for every syntax error unless you specifically design your grammer
to catch a specific error and output a different message.  The writer
of your compiler probably used YACC, and then didn't design his
grammer to do this in this case.  He is probably not too much to blame
though.  To design a languge to catch every possible generic grammerical
error would make the compiler so slow you might as well code in assembly.

                   enough from this mooncalf - Steven
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To flame someone for bad spelling or grammer is a discouragement to net
discussion in a timely fashion.
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These opinions aren't necessarily Motorola's or Remora's - but I'd like to
think we share some common views.
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Steven R Weintraub                        cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!devsys!steve
Motorola Inc.  Austin, Texas 
(512) 440-3023 (office) (512) 453-6953 (home)
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