Article View: comp.lang.misc
Article #6312Re: language commenting constructs
From: Gordon V. Cormack
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1989 04:17
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1989 04:17
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The lack of nested comments is an artifact of the conventional way of building compilers using a finite state scanner and a context-free parser. It is difficult (very difficult) to recognise nested comments with a finite state scanner. Dan Salomon and I have a paper in Sigplan 89 PLDI suggesting that finite state scanners be eliminated. --------- With modern text editors, is there really any excuse for bracketed comments? I think end-of-line is a perfect comment terminator. Then nesting becomes a non-issue. -- Gordon V. Cormack CS Dept, University of Waterloo, Canada N2L 3G1 gvcormack@waterloo.EDU gvcormack@uwaterloo.CA gvcormac@water.BITNET
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!watmath!watdragon!gvcormack From: gvcormack@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Gordon V. Cormack) Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc Subject: Re: language commenting constructs Message-ID: <12362@watdragon.waterloo.edu> Date: 15 Mar 89 04:17:49 GMT References: <Mar.11.18.24.04.1989.18285@athos.rutgers.edu> <1543@zen.UUCP> Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 17