Article View: comp.arch
Article #13065Why we can't cater to bad code
From: dce
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1987 04:23
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1987 04:23
21 lines
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1506 bytes
Ok, folks, it's time to 'fess up about the NULL pointer deal.
The fact is that we need to have some new obscurity in Unix systems:
User (looks like his name is Melvin): I think the compiler is
broken because this program doesn't work on the new machine.
Guru (looks like Ed Gould; who else?): Let's see...
User: I do a strcpy() of the result of getlogin() and ...
Guru: YOU DO WHAT?!? Hahahaha! What? Were you raised in a barn?
Everyone knows that you can't dereference a NULL pointer!
User: But...but...but it works on the Vax!
Guru: That's no reason, silly computer nerd! You are hereby relegated
to the position of computer elf until 1999 or until you go
to work on a VMS system.
If everyone could do it, we wouldn't get paid so much (well, not that
much really, Mash).
--
David Elliott
UUCP: {decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!mips!dce, DDD: 408-720-1700
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Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sri-spam!ames!lll-lcc!pyramid!prls!mips!dce From: dce@mips.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Why we can't cater to bad code Message-ID: <191@quacky.mips.UUCP> Date: Tue, 24-Feb-87 23:23:54 EST Article-I.D.: quacky.191 Posted: Tue Feb 24 23:23:54 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 27-Feb-87 07:32:04 EST References: <14833@amdcad.UUCP> <428@omepd> <701@instable.UUCP> Reply-To: dce@quacky.UUCP (David Elliott) Distribution: world Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Sunnyvale, CA Lines: 21