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From: milamber@caen.engin.umich.edu (Daryl Cantrell)
Subject: Re: Compiler code (was a flame fest)
Message-ID: <1991Apr17.180342.25312@engin.umich.edu>
Sender: news@engin.umich.edu (CAEN Netnews)
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
References: <MWM.91Apr2120500@revelwood.pa.dec.com> <1991Apr16.001748.26530@uncecs.edu> <1991Apr16.183638.12808@cs.cornell.edu>
Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1991 18:03:42 GMT

In article <1991Apr16.183638.12808@cs.cornell.edu> johnhlee@cs.cornell.edu (John H. Lee) writes:
>In article <1991Apr16.001748.26530@uncecs.edu> urjlew@uncecs.edu (Rostyk Lewyckyj) writes:
>[...]
>>If a language causes this much controversy in just a variable/constant
>>declaration, and does not define any specific order for evaluations,
>>and does not have all the arithmetic operators (e.g. power), and 
>>does not have a computed go to (for branch tables) ....
>>How can it have such a zealous cult following of true believers?
>>How is it that an glorified assembler for the DEC PDP 11 has become
>>the language of choice for assembler hating CS students?
[...]
>2)  The C language specifies a *very* a clear order for evaluations.  May I
>suggest you read the book by Kernighan and Ritchie, _The C Programming
>Language_.
[...]

  I don't think you take his meaning... If you have an expression like

  a * b + c * d

C defines the order of operations with regard to the operators.  That is,
the multiplications will be performed before the addition.  However, there
is no way to know whether a * b or c * d will be evaluated first.  Simi-
larly, it is not defined whether a or b will be evaluated first in the
multiplication.  The only exceptions are the && and || operators, where
left operand can short circuit the right.

  Personally, I would find such a definition about as useful as computed
gotos... (Not at all)

  To the original (?) poster: What difference does it make how it happen-
ned?  I use C because it's fast, powerful, and intuitive.  Every program-
mer has their own reasons for their choice of language.  How is it that
which language I use is so important to you?  If programmers everywhere
are using it (which they are), there must be some reason, eh?


--
+---------------------------------------+----------------------------+
|   // Daryl S. Cantrell                |   These opinions are       |
| |\\\ milamber@caen.engin.umich.edu    |    shared by all of    //  |
| |//  Evolution's over.  We won.       |        Humanity.     \X/   |
+---------------------------------------+----------------------------+
