Subject: Re: bin/7592: programs' error handle broken by good intentions
To: Greg A. Woods <woods@most.weird.com>
From: Olaf Seibert <rhialto@polder.ubc.kun.nl>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 05/27/1999 17:44:13
On Wed, 26 May 1999, Greg A. Woods wrote:

> [ On Wednesday, May 26, 1999 at 23:02:56 (+0200), Olaf Seibert wrote: ]
> > Subject: Re: bin/7592: programs' error handle broken by good intentions
> >
> > Since we're discussing "traditional C", all references will be to
> > Kernighan & Ritchie, 1st edition.
> 
> Actually, I specifially used the term "traditional C" to avoid calling
> it K&R, and particularly to avoid reference to the infamous 1st edition.
> If a few more people had bought the ill-fated "second" edition (1983, I
> think -- it was pulled from the shelves just as the ANSI group began
> working on a C standard, and I sorely regret not buying the copy I saw),
> then I'd have referred to it.  It more accurately described a language

I didn't know about such an "interim" edition. My copy does not mention
any edition at all, so I'll have to go look at the year to see if
perhaps it is this "interim" edition. It could well be, actually.

> compatible with modern (at the time) UNIX C (i.e. the one that permits
> structure assignment and has some other features such as 'unsigned long'
> that slightly post-date the original 1st edition).  I'm most interested

My C reference that's in the supplementary docs that came with Ultrix
has as short appendix which describes such things.

> in real UNIX C as implemented in the V7 Portable C Compiler and those
> that grew from it and as described in the UNIX C Language Manual,
> especially since K&Rv1 was out of date before it was published.

[ rest omitted to avoid more off-topic postings ]

-Olaf.
--
___ Olaf 'Rhialto' Seibert - rhialto@polder.ubc. ---- Unauthorized duplication,
\X/ .kun.nl ---- while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing.