🚀 go-pugleaf

On Mon, 08 Apr 96 13:56:53 GMT in article <828971813snz@genesis.demon.co.uk>
    Lawrence Kirby <fred@genesis.demon.co.uk> (Lawrence Kirby) wrote:

>>IMHO, qsort() is required to return an array that is sorted according to the
>>criteria implied by the comparison function.  That is, at the point where qsort
>>returns, the array must match the order implied by the comparison function.

The comparison function I postulated *is* consistent, at any instant in time.
(Just to be clear - another correspondent suggested my original posting may not
have said quite what I intended.  The comparison function I suggested., or
intended, calculates as result by comparison of the values pointed at by the
parameters, in a way we can all agree is acceptable.  However, it then calls
time(), and if the result it odd it negates the result before returning it.  In
a conventional implementation of time(), it reverses the order every second, but
defines a consistent order at any given time.)

>The critical word is 'sorted'. I suggest you read section 5 (i.e. the
>first section of chapter 5) in Knuth Vol 3 to get a reasonable idea of what
>a sort is. 

I can assure you that I read Knuth cover to cover, within a few weeks of its
first publication.  I really don't think this kind of insult is necessary here.

There isn't much point in continuing this.  We will have to agree to disagree.
I understand how you are reaching the conclusions you are reaching (and I agree
it should be possible to reach them).  However I think that you are stretching
the text of the standard beyond the breaking point to get there.

--
Peter Curran                               pcurran@inforamp.net