Weird TeX behaviour

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#722

From: Garry Wiegand
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1986 02:17

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       A TeXnical question:  ((('N' key everyone!)))

\newskip\A
\newdimen\B

\B = 8pt \ifdim \B > 2pt \B = 2pt \fi \showthe \B	% answer is '2'
\B = 8pt \ifdim \B > 2pt \B = 2pt \fi \showthe \B	% answer is '2'

\B = 8pt \relax \ifdim \B > 2pt \B = 2pt \fi \showthe \B % answer is '2'
\B = 8pt \relax \ifdim \B > 2pt \B = 2pt \fi \showthe \B % answer is '2'

\A = 8pt \ifdim \A > 2pt \A = 2pt \fi \showthe \A	% answer is '8'!!!
\A = 8pt \ifdim \A > 2pt \A = 2pt \fi \showthe \A	% answer is '2'!!!

IS THIS A BUG IN TEX, OR IS IT ME?? (you never know with Tex) (This
problem extracted from horrible overburden. Took a while to find,
given the "every-other-time" property.) 

In context, the \relax no longer was ameliorative. 
We are using "VAX/VMS version 1.1". 

garry wiegand
garry@lasspvax.tn.cornell.edu

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Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site lasspvax.UUCP
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!lasspvax!garry
From: garry@lasspvax.UUCP (Garry Wiegand)
Newsgroups: net.text
Subject: Weird TeX behaviour
Message-ID: <777@lasspvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 11-Jan-86 21:17:06 EST
Article-I.D.: lasspvax.777
Posted: Sat Jan 11 21:17:06 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Jan-86 05:06:13 EST
Organization: Cornell Engineering && Flying Moose Graphics
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