Xref: utzoo gnu.gcc:262 comp.os.vms:12558 comp.lang.c:16871
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.UUCP (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: gnu.gcc,comp.os.vms,comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Problems with GCC and/or VAX LINK
Keywords: globalref, extern, quotation marks
Message-ID: <1153@auspex.UUCP>
Date: 11 Mar 89 20:25:44 GMT
References: <1680@levels.sait.edu.au>
Reply-To: guy@auspex.UUCP (Guy Harris)
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 24

>    I've seen arguments over this behaviour before (some people claim
>    it is the one true way; others disagree).

I cannot imagine why there should be any arguments over this behavior
any more.  The December 7, 1988 dpANS (is that draft now the pANS) says,
quite explicitly:

	3.1.9 Comments

	  ... The contents of a comment are examined only to identify
	multibyte characters and to find the characters */ that
	terminate it.

So, with regards to ANSI C, there is only one side to that debate, not
two.

K&R I doesn't explicitly indicate that the compiler shouldn't match
quotation marks in comments, so if an implementer wants to be a real
asshole he or she can insist on matched quotation marks in comments
without violating the letter of K&R I, I guess. 

However, I'm *extremely* surprised that GCC cares; I don't even think
twice about using apostrophes in comments, and I've seen lots of code
that uses them.