Re: C scope and struct definitions

From	Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
Subject	Re: C scope and struct definitions
Date	2012-06-25 01:14 -0400
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<js8s3t$asp$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	<mYGdnXsGt41dNnnSnZ2dnUVZ_u-dnZ2d@bestweb.net> <lny5nd78em.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org> <js698k$7rm$1@speranza.aioe.org> <lnpq8o7fp7.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org> <js8nba$lg5$1@speranza.aioe.org>

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On 6/24/2012 11:53 PM, Alan Curry wrote:
> In article <lnpq8o7fp7.fsf@nuthaus.mib.org>,
> Keith Thompson  <kst-u@mib.org> wrote:
>>
>> Out of curiosity, are you talking about how you wish the language
>> had been defined in the first place, or are you proposing a change
>> to a future version of the language?
>
> Neither. I only said that I don't think limited scopes for struct definitions
> are useful, and there came a storm of disagreement.

     If that's all you were saying, I apologize for any undue vehemence.
My ire was directed at the suggestion that conforming to the Standard
did not constitute a "real reason" for a compiler's behavior.

     This is not to say that I agree with your notion that UNlimited
scope for type names would be a good idea.  It goes against every
notion of encapsulation to insist that every block publish its own
internal workings for the rest of the world to see -- indeed, for the
rest of the world to be unable to avoid seeing.  But, hey: If that's
the way you want it, all you need do is write coding standards that
insist on file scope for all type definitions.

> And also I speculated
> that application of scoping rules to type names is a historical accident
> rather than an intentionally designed feature, and I still don't know of any
> evidence for or aginst that idea.

     So, as has been pointed out, your beef is with X3J11 and not with
anyone present.

> At least most of us agreed that a struct definition with "function prototype
> scope" is a bad sign.

     It's useless (which was where this thread started), and draws
a diagnostic from gcc and perhaps other compilers.  It's by no means
the only useless construct one can write in C; gcc will also diagnose
some of the others.  "Mommy! Mommy! C allows useless constructs!"
"Hush, my child, lest you awaken the colorless green ideas from
their furious sleep."

-- 
Eric Sosman
esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid

Thread

C scope and struct definitions Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2012-06-22 13:30 -0400
  Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-22 14:02 -0400
    Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-22 22:40 +0000
      Re: C scope and struct definitions Ben Pfaff <blp@cs.stanford.edu> - 2012-06-22 15:47 -0700
      Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-22 20:32 -0400
        Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-23 22:06 +0000
          Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-23 16:18 -0700
            Re: C scope and struct definitions James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-25 10:19 -0400
              Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-25 11:51 -0700
          Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-23 19:54 -0400
            Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-24 00:56 +0000
              Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-23 21:48 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-24 06:03 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com - 2012-06-25 00:05 -0700
              Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-23 19:25 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-24 05:40 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Jens Gustedt <jens.gustedt@loria.fr> - 2012-06-24 10:47 +0200
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-24 11:00 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-25 03:53 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-25 01:14 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-24 22:38 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2012-06-25 11:03 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-26 20:08 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Jens Gustedt <jens.gustedt@loria.fr> - 2012-06-26 23:21 +0200
                Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-26 21:47 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-26 18:05 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-26 16:45 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Jens Gustedt <jens.gustedt@loria.fr> - 2012-06-27 08:26 +0200
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-27 00:01 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-27 06:57 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-27 15:00 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-27 14:48 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-27 16:14 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-29 09:36 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-27 16:27 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-27 12:03 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-27 12:11 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-27 15:53 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-26 17:59 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-26 22:18 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-26 18:33 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-26 17:22 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-27 00:03 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2012-06-27 14:13 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-27 12:15 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-29 09:43 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-29 11:59 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-07-01 18:32 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions pacman@kosh.dhis.org (Alan Curry) - 2012-06-27 20:59 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2012-06-28 16:42 -0400
            Re: C scope and struct definitions James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-23 20:57 -0400
              Re: C scope and struct definitions Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2012-06-23 22:11 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-23 22:51 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Nick Bowler <nbowler@draconx.ca> - 2012-06-25 17:31 +0000
                Re: C scope and struct definitions James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-25 14:46 -0400
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-25 14:43 -0700
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Jens Gustedt <jens.gustedt@loria.fr> - 2012-06-26 13:44 +0200
                Re: C scope and struct definitions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2012-06-23 20:07 -0700
              Re: C scope and struct definitions Jens Gustedt <jens.gustedt@loria.fr> - 2012-06-24 10:56 +0200
                Re: C scope and struct definitions James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-24 08:29 -0400
              Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-24 10:26 -0700
          Re: C scope and struct definitions Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2012-06-25 10:50 -0400
      Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-24 09:23 -0700
        Re: C scope and struct definitions Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2012-06-25 11:17 -0400
          Re: C scope and struct definitions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-06-25 14:22 -0700
  Re: C scope and struct definitions Kenneth Brody <kenbrody@spamcop.net> - 2012-06-25 11:11 -0400

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