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From: Florian Weimer <fw@deneb.enyo.de>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Implementing C/C++ style #include...
Date: 27 Mar 2001 00:25:00 +0200
Organization: Enyo's not your organization
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dvdeug@x8b4e53cd.dhcp.okstate.edu (David Starner) writes:

> >Even for medium-sized projects, it doesn't.  For example, Linux kernel
> >development is quite difficult because no developer can build the kernel in
> >more than a few configurations, but there are more then 2**50 possible
> >configurations.  As a result, it happens all the time that one change breaks
> >some special configurations, and there's really no way to test automatically
> >for such problems.
> 
> Which has what to do with a pre-processor? The Linux kernel would be
> able to be built in 2**50 possible configurations in any case, with or
> without a pre-processor. 

If you use a preprocessor, only the code which is activated in a given
configuration will be passed through the compiler.  Syntax errors,
type errors, name clashes, references to renamed identifiers in other
configurations won't be detected.

IMHO, that's the strongest argument against a preprocessor.  If you
don't use a preprocessor, you can be sure that your code compiles in
all configurations (if it works is another question, of course).