Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!mit.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Richard Newsgroups: comp.lang.c Subject: Re: Is enum a suitable way to implement a "local define?" Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 11:50:24 +0100 Organization: http://www.ieee.org/ Lines: 28 Message-ID: <8738hlmpan.fsf@gmail.com> References: <75dbfab4-304e-49c3-b655-16c085f60e4c@googlegroups.com> <6Rw0v.226822$4l4.136348@fx23.am4> <4Sz0v.75086$Yw3.15453@fx15.am4> <878urdy5c2.fsf@gmail.com> <65be6cfe-29e6-4bdc-abd6-a7706885528b@googlegroups.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Injection-Info: mit.eternal-september.org; posting-host="5d2c20eb57d1f93a389162df95882eaf"; logging-data="7519"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1+AnbQDw5MAz/wiBQE6HzNYd22Jtlm5nMQ=" User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.3 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:yxC76RrZSwwfrMcTQUV/jBGf8Ys= sha1:T4tUG6uxPDOcEq0mC30Mfg8bSoQ= Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.c:42752 Malcolm McLean writes: > On Thursday, April 10, 2014 9:08:29 AM UTC+1, Richard wrote: >> Keith Thompson writes: >> >> Without the application of "const" in any shape or form it has a very >> well defined meaning. The clue is in what "variable" means and in >> addition to that real humans are capable of understanding what someone >> means when they say "a constant int" for example. >> > But programmers also say "that variable is a constant". > It's referenced by a symbol rather than a raw value, but the value doesn't change during the lifetime of > the program. However it might change if the program is compiled with > different settings. What "some programmers" say is immaterial. They "say" a lot of wrong things. This does not mean that "variable" is undefined in a general talk involving C. The fact I specifically addressed (albeit not in c.l.c laborious minutiae) your counterargument not withstanding. A variable, when discussed between to adults, is a well known entity. Those same adults would generally say "the constant X" more often than "the constant variable X" but "constant variable X" would be understood by any half sentient programmer. -- "Avoid hyperbole at all costs, its the most destructive argument on the planet" - Mark McIntyre in comp.lang.c