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From: gordon@sneaky.UUCP (Gordon Burditt)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: The *ART* of Computer Programming
Message-ID: <29078@sneaky.UUCP>
Date: 9 Mar 90 05:17:47 GMT
References: <1990Feb26.234217.23251@aucs.uucp> <732@sppy00.UUCP> <12533@nigel.udel.EDU> <14096@cbnewsc.ATT.COM>
Organization: Gordon Burditt
Lines: 27

>> >If a program is worth >writing it is worth writing well.  
>> Have you never heard of a one-time program? Or were you not referring to
>> this kind of program?     -- Darren
>
>There is nothing so long-lived as a useful one-shot program!!!

Ok, here's my definition of a one-time program:

A one-shot program is a short program that isn't supposed to be executed, and 
either doesn't compile or compiles with bad code generation using some 
compiler of interest.  Its only function is to demonstrate a compiler bug.

Example (made up but something very close really happened):

main()
{
# ifndef NOBUG
	register 
# endif
		unsigned int i = 4;

	foo( i <<= i );	/* compiler error:  no table entry for op REG */
}
/* nobody ever bothers to write foo() */

						Gordon L. Burditt
						sneaky.lonestar.org!gordon