Re: "a();" not a valid external declaration in pANS C.

Article View: comp.std.c

Article #5706

#5706

From: Stephen J. Friedl
Date: Tue, 07 Feb 1989 07:42

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1410 bytes

In article <46@microsoft.UUCP> jangr@microsoft.UUCP (Jan Gray) writes:
>
> pANS C accepts "int a();" and "a() {}" but not "a();", which is valid K&R C.
> I am curious about the rationale behind this change.  Was it "nobody really
> uses that construct, and banning it simplifies the grammar"?

In article <2856@epimass.EPI.COM>, jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck) writes:
>
> Not only does nobody use that construct intentionally, but I've seen
> problems arise because of typos because of this construct.

I hate to tell you this folks, but this default-type-is-int is
indeed used in a wide body of C code.  Check with your local
archive site for recent the Obfuscated C contest entries.

     Steve :-)

-- 
Stephen J. Friedl        3B2-kind-of-guy            friedl@vsi.com
V-Systems, Inc.       I speak for you only      attmail!vsi!friedl
Santa Ana, CA  USA       +1 714 545 6442    {backbones}!vsi!friedl
Nancy Reagan on these *stupid* .signatures: "Enough already, OK?"

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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!leah!itsgw!steinmetz!uunet!vsi!friedl
From: friedl@vsi.COM (Stephen J. Friedl)
Newsgroups: comp.std.c
Subject: Re: "a();" not a valid external declaration in pANS C.
Message-ID: <1046@vsi.COM>
Date: 7 Feb 89 07:42:30 GMT
References: <46@microsoft.UUCP> <2856@epimass.EPI.COM>
Organization: V-Systems, Inc. -- Santa Ana, CA
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