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Groups > comp.lang.c > #61758

Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions

From Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com>
Newsgroups comp.lang.c
Subject Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions
Date 2015-05-08 05:07 -0500
Organization http://www.iedu.com/Solar/
Message-ID <mii1sh$e4o$1@speranza.aioe.org> (permalink)
References <michpc$2b0$1@dont-email.me> <87r3qtlmtn.fsf@kst-u.example.com> <mif75a$gr6$1@dont-email.me> <mifvml$mad$1@speranza.aioe.org> <mihu3f$qhm$1@dont-email.me>

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On 5/8/15 4:03 AM, David Brown wrote:
> Yes, in the case of strcat the functionality is particularly easy to
> duplicate (often it is not even worth making it a separate function).
> I am not complaining as such - I am more curious to know if there is
> any good reason why strcat was specified the way it is, when it could
> so easily have been more efficient.

I can't do much more than speculate that there might have been a lot of
'get it working, then can polish it up later' going on, along with a
certain amount of pressure for a working version of unix ASAP. I suspect
a lot of that 'polishing' never actually got done and a lot of good
ideas (multiple entry points, for example) never saw the light of day.
The original syntax has always struck me as 'cobbled' and lacking
elegance - and I'm inclined to think polish wasn't of much concern.

Of course, once there was a working compiler and operating system, then
there was likely considerable managerial resistance to change on the 'if
it ain't broke, don't fix it!' principal.

-- 
Morris Dovey
http://www.iedu.com/Solar

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Thread

Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-06 10:02 +0200
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Xavier Roche <xroche@free.fr.NOSPAM.invalid> - 2015-05-06 10:34 +0200
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Lőrinczy Zsigmond <zsiga@nospam.for.me> - 2015-05-06 16:51 +0200
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-05-06 08:58 -0700
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2015-05-06 17:07 +0100
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-06 12:01 -0500
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-07 10:19 +0200
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 13:21 +0000
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-07 16:24 +0200
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 18:02 +0000
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-07 10:17 -0500
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-07 10:56 -0500
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions asetofsymbols@gmail.com - 2015-05-07 11:00 -0700
            Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-07 14:28 -0500
              Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions asetofsymbols@gmail.com - 2015-05-07 12:47 -0700
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Nathan Wagner <nw@hydaspes.if.org> - 2015-05-08 09:31 +0000
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 15:55 -0700
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-08 11:03 +0200
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-08 05:07 -0500
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-06 18:25 -0700
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-07 10:22 +0200
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-07 15:39 -0700
        Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-08 11:09 +0200
          Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-10 08:44 -0700
            Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-10 21:30 +0200
              Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-11 20:42 -0700
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-12 09:52 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2015-05-12 13:33 +0100
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Ike Naar <ike@iceland.freeshell.org> - 2015-05-14 20:15 +0000
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-14 23:06 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-20 11:08 -0700
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-21 10:55 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-21 13:05 +0000
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2015-05-21 20:42 +0200
                Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-07-10 10:40 -0700
    Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2015-05-08 21:56 +0000
      Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-05-10 09:07 -0700
  Re: Return value for strcat and similar functions Bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2015-05-07 10:11 +0100

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