From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,ad988eb0a9545c86 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-04-17 12:38:40 PST Path: supernews.google.com!sn-xit-02!supernews.com!news.tele.dk!62.112.0.25!newsfeed.online.be!isdnet!psinet-france!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Problem trying to implement generics. Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 15:10:58 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9bi4g4$97m$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9b46dr$cd8$1@taliesin.netcom.net.uk> <9b6jtu$4is$2@taliesin.netcom.net.uk> <9b6m27$68e$1@taliesin.netcom.net.uk> <0JBB6.10484$FD1.1197250@news6-win.server.ntlworld.com> <9b7tce$laf$2@taliesin.netcom.net.uk> <3ADC4320.7ACA3DEC@averstar.com> <9bhoup$h9k$1@taliesin.netcom.net.uk> <3ADC7A79.8E853905@mindspring.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 987534660 9462 136.170.200.133 (17 Apr 2001 19:11:00 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 17 Apr 2001 19:11:00 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: supernews.google.com comp.lang.ada:6954 Date: 2001-04-17T19:11:00+00:00 List-Id: I've been an on-and-off C programmer for a *lot* of years. I'm currently doing nothing but C programming. I dislike the various C shorthand operators and don't use them because it is not immediately and intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer what it is they are doing. Most programmers can recognize the basic algebraic notation that is common to almost all popular programming languages (your basic "Y = M * X + B" type of thing) and so I use that type of expression in (almost) all C programming contexts. (I don't think I need to mention all the possible problems that come up in the more clever uses of esoteric features like the difference between "++X" and "X++" - but I guess I just did. People who use *that* kind of thing should be turned into castrati so that they start singing a different tune. :-) I've had the debate with various associates which usually starts out with "Any *competent* C programmer should be able to....." My retort is always: "How does it make me money when a less-than-"competent" C programmer has to decypher it?" Every minute spent trying to figure out what an expression does is a minute *not* spent making money for the stockholders. If there is even the slightest possibility that someone can misinterpret what the expression means or possibly get the syntax wrong or otherwise botch things up, then it ought to be avoided. (Assuming one has a simpler, more obvious representation for the same thing. After all, there are those who will have trouble understanding "Y = M * X + B" but I'm not sure I can make it much simpler for them. At least if they know some Fortran, Pascal, Ada, , chances are they won't have much trouble guessing what that sort of expression means in C.) The "+=", et alia, were basically invented by people who couldn't type. I'd rather opt for the clarity in the expression and not worry about all the interesting ways of representing it in fewer keystrokes. After all, on any given day of the week *I'm* not a "competent" C programmer! (Especially before coffee in the AM!) I don't want to work that hard to understand what I did yesterday when I was fully awake. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "Brian Rogoff" wrote in message news:Pine.BSF.4.21.0104171057590.21817-100000@shell5.ba.best.com... > > Of course, I also refused to use ++, --, +=, and all the other > > wierd C operators. Matter of taste, I guess. > > Indeed, some people have a problem adapting to the features of other > languages.