Re: request for feedback: n2698 - generic functions and parametric types

From	Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com>
Newsgroups	comp.std.c
Subject	Re: request for feedback: n2698 - generic functions and parametric types
Date	2023-01-02 07:48 -0800
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<865ydpq6o2.fsf@linuxsc.com> (permalink)
References	<04f0a483-554c-40d2-bf79-4c5155a0ebban@googlegroups.com>

Show all headers | View raw

"Leandro T. C. Melo" <ltcmelo@gmail.com> writes:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm working on:
>
> - n2698 Enabling Generic Functions and Parametric Types in C
>
> The proposal is still a draft, but it already is quite complete;  I
> even provide a prototype for it.
>
> If you're interested in taking a look at the proposal, here it is:
>
> - https://ltcmelo.com/n2698.pdf
>
> I'd appreciate any feedback a lot.

This proposal is painfully bad, along a variety of axes.

Perhaps the most important axes are that it isn't clear exactly
what is being proposed, and to the extent that what is being
proposed is evident it looks like it is not very well thought
out.  The constructs described look like they are more or less a
trimmed-down version of C++ templates, but with an even worse
syntax than templates (and I can't tell what differences there
might be in the semantics, in areas where the two overlap).

Also the writing and presentation are awful, which really doesn't
help.

I am sympathetic to the idea that C might benefit from having
some kind of template or parameterized type mechanism, but what
is suggested in this proposal is not it.

Specific comment:  don't use the word "generic".  C already has a
construct that could be called "generic", namely _Generic.

Back to comp.std.c | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar

Thread

request for feedback: n2698 - generic functions and parametric types "Leandro T. C. Melo" <ltcmelo@gmail.com> - 2022-11-29 04:31 -0800
  Re: request for feedback: n2698 - generic functions and parametric types Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2023-01-02 07:48 -0800
    Re: request for feedback: n2698 - generic functions and parametric types "Leandro T. C. Melo" <ltcmelo@gmail.com> - 2023-01-03 03:32 -0800
      Re: request for feedback: n2698 - generic functions and parametric types Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> - 2023-01-29 10:57 -0800
        Re: request for feedback: n2698 - generic functions and parametric types "Leandro T. C. Melo" <ltcmelo@gmail.com> - 2023-01-29 14:35 -0800

csiph-web