Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help?

From	blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
Subject	Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help?
Date	2011-09-02 07:47 +0000
Organization	None
Message-ID	<9cbg1aFftvU2@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References	<j3jj2t$eq3$1@speranza.aioe.org> <9c9l8uF6f6U3@mid.individual.net> <lnfwkgs1k0.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org> <j3obqu$l0f$1@dont-email.me>

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In article <j3obqu$l0f$1@dont-email.me>, BartC <bc@freeuk.com> wrote:
> "Keith Thompson" <kst-u@mib.org> wrote in message 
> news:lnfwkgs1k0.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org...
> > blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> writes:
> >> In article <lnmxeptv4b.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org>,
> >> Keith Thompson  <kst-u@mib.org> wrote:
> 
> >>>     #define INVALID LONG_MIN
> 
> >> And then you disallow one legitimate input ....  Well, I guess
> >> the options for signalling errors are limited.  <shrug>?
> >
> > So I can't enter -2147483648.  Oh, darn.  8-)}
> >
> > In real life, checking for end-of-file would make a lot more sense, but
> > this is a beginner's assignment.
> 
> I think he meant the -999 that is used to stop the program...

I'm not sure who "he" is in this sentence (and for once I'm not just
making my usual quibble about the gender of the pronoun).  

I'll agree that using some particular value to mean "no more input"
doesn't seem as satisfactory as just using end of file, though it's
not unusual in a beginning program and maybe not even very bad in
that context.

But my comment about disallowing one legitimate input was in
reference to signalling *errors* using something that could be
a legitimate return value -- that does seem less than optimal,
though it's not clear how one could do better without changing the
function signature.

> (If it was my specification, I might have just used an empty line to end. 
> However this is after all just an exercise.)

-- 
B. L. Massingill
ObDisclaimer:  I don't speak for my employers; they return the favor.

Thread

I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Jack <spamtrap@trashcan.invalid> - 2011-08-30 21:01 +0000
  Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-08-31 09:18 +1200
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Jack <spamtrap@trashcan.invalid> - 2011-08-30 21:20 +0000
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-08-31 10:34 +1200
  Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> - 2011-08-30 21:29 +0000
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Jack <spamtrap@trashcan.invalid> - 2011-08-30 21:43 +0000
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> - 2011-08-30 22:16 +0000
        Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? William Ahern <william@wilbur.25thandClement.com> - 2011-08-30 16:26 -0700
        Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-08-30 21:44 -0400
          Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> - 2011-08-31 02:03 +0000
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-08-31 08:56 -0700
              Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> - 2011-08-31 16:15 +0000
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-08-31 09:20 -0700
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-08-31 21:15 -0400
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-08-31 22:18 -0400
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-01 15:06 +0000
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-01 15:04 +0000
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> - 2011-09-01 15:20 +0000
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? David Thompson <dave.thompson2@verizon.net> - 2011-09-06 01:20 -0400
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-08-30 16:37 -0700
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2011-08-31 00:51 +0100
        Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-08-31 13:28 +0000
          Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-01 15:03 +0000
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-01 08:49 -0700
              Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-02 07:46 +0000
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-09-01 21:30 -0400
              Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-02 07:48 +0000
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-08-31 11:58 +1200
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Ike Naar <ike@sverige.freeshell.org> - 2011-08-31 07:27 +0000
  Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-08-31 10:37 +0100
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-08-31 13:29 +0000
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-08-31 18:41 +0100
        Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-01 15:05 +0000
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-09-02 01:42 -0700
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-08-31 09:15 -0700
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-08-31 18:36 +0100
        Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-08-31 11:44 -0700
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-01 15:05 +0000
        Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-01 08:51 -0700
          Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-09-01 17:26 +0100
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-02 07:47 +0000
              Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-09-02 10:56 +0100
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? blmblm@myrealbox.com <blmblm.myrealbox@gmail.com> - 2011-09-05 20:21 +0000
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? "Bartc" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-09-09 13:59 +0100
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2011-09-02 10:43 +0100
  Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-09-01 12:02 -0600
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-09-01 15:12 -0400
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? sandeep <nospam@nospam.com> - 2011-09-01 19:36 +0000
      Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-09-01 14:53 -0600
        Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-01 16:01 -0700
          Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-09-01 17:22 -0600
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-09-01 19:39 -0400
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-01 16:39 -0700
              Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-09-01 18:51 -0600
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-09-01 22:27 -0400
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-09-01 22:53 -0400
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2011-09-02 10:45 -0400
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-09-02 11:02 -0400
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-02 08:05 -0700
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-02 08:17 -0700
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Willem <willem@toad.stack.nl> - 2011-09-02 15:18 +0000
                Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-02 08:42 -0700
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-09-01 23:21 -0400
          Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-09-01 21:53 -0400
            Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-09-01 23:09 -0400
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-09-01 21:43 -0700
    Re: I think this is an impossible assignment...could you help? Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2011-09-02 08:32 -0700

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