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From: sdowdy@carina.unm.edu (Stephen Dowdy)
Subject: Re: Lattice/SAS C  5.10 HERE!
Message-ID: <1990Aug24.060138.2233@ariel.unm.edu>
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Reply-To: sdowdy@carina.unm.edu.UUCP (Stephen Dowdy)
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
References: <14874@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 90 06:01:38 GMT
Lines: 40

In article <14874@shlump.nac.dec.com> barrett@meridn.enet.dec.com
	(Keith Barrett) writes:
}In article <1990Aug23.052447.24545@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>,
	xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) writes...
}>So tell me, does it still do a no-warning, no guru, stone cold system
}>crash, trashing Rad:, if you try to do/use a 30 line #define?
}
}Standard C coding practice recommends that a define should fit in 1 line
}of 80 characters; I think you got what you deserved. You're not the type
}to sue a ladder company because the instructions did not state "don't
}place the ladder in mud" and you did and fell, are you? :-)
}
}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
}Keith G. Barrett - Software Specialist    Internet: barrett@meridn.enet.dec.com

Woah!!!
I don't recall anywhere where it says "#define lines should adhere to
ancient FORTRAN coding practices".  Admittedly, I'd never write a 30 line
#define, but it is not too much to expect software not able to deal with
such excess to at least abort with an error, or truncation of the directive.

I think a better analogy than the one you give would be:
	...sue an automobile manufacturer because you went 70mph and the
	car exploded because everyone *KNOWS* it is standard driving
	practice to do only 65...

In addition (since you are from DEC), i suppose that you would have no problem
if i had a 30 line #define and VAXC crashed my vax, eh?  (I'm sure the
rest of the users on my system would be rather irked)

I realize that software has bugs that may not have been exercised in testing
which is understandable, but to say that it is acceptable for software to
explode on strange input is ludicrous.

--stephen dowdy
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