Newsgroups: comp.std.c++
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: "packed" objects (Oops! Forgot something!)
Message-ID: <1990Aug2.164300.25300@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <56159@microsoft.UUCP> <56165@microsoft.UUCP> <6785@netxcom.DHL.COM> <6786@netxcom.DHL.COM> <GSTEIN.90Jul31194438@goober.oracle.com> <MCGRATH.90Aug1122802@helen.Berkeley.EDU> <MEISSNER.90Aug1191316@osf.osf.org>
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 90 16:43:00 GMT

In article <MEISSNER.90Aug1191316@osf.osf.org> meissner@osf.org (Michael Meissner) writes:
>I imagine the grief people would get if the stat structure got
>rearranged because some OS jock added a byte field at the end of the
>structure?  Yes, extern "C" can be used, but it just means that there
>are even more things to worry about getting right.

In the case of system calls, system header files are charged with getting
this right for you; there is no reason for you to be defining your own
version of the stat structure.  OS jocks *always* have to worry about
compatibility when they change interfaces.
-- 
The 486 is to a modern CPU as a Jules  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
Verne reprint is to a modern SF novel. |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry
