Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back

From	BartC <bc@freeuk.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
Subject	Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back
Date	2016-06-30 19:54 +0100
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<nl3psk$khh$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	(3 earlier) <44f7191e-8c44-43a2-801f-fa9238e32784@googlegroups.com> <87y45mevjm.fsf@bsb.me.uk> <aba6efe2-9a39-4bc9-bc1d-e54f7ac62ea6@googlegroups.com> <nl3jsa$tua$1@dont-email.me> <5cc9d00d-1c3e-4a15-b633-d238280370f8@googlegroups.com>

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On 30/06/2016 18:30, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
> On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 1:11:48 PM UTC-4, Bart wrote:

>> Why would declaring types ahead of use be an issue?

> I look at software compilation as assembling a puzzle.  Sometimes there
> are pieces missing, but that shouldn't prevent the puzzle from being
> created.  It will just have some places which have no code in them.  Even
> if you get to a line of code referencing an unknown type, or an unknown
> member of a known type, it's not really an error, it's just incomplete
> code, which may possibly indicate an error because you typed "fi" and
> you mean "fo".

You might be describing Python there, where all names are resolved at 
run-time. (Not even at load-time, but as each line is executed.)

But for a static language, that introduces extra complexities (as we may 
have already discussed in c.s.c), and many C compilers are slow enough 
already.

In my experiments to get a faster compiler, I've had to eliminate one 
pass, and that meant dropping out-of-order declarations (except for 
labels and functions; type declarations already needed to be declared 
ahead-of-use).

And interestingly, I haven't missed the feature at all, as I never used 
it! This is for a language where anything still only needs to be defined 
once.

-- 
Bartc

Thread

Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-29 10:36 -0700
  Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back supercat@casperkitty.com - 2016-06-29 16:04 -0700
    Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-29 16:30 -0700
      Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2016-06-29 19:52 -0700
        Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2016-06-30 13:00 +0100
          Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 05:42 -0700
            Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 18:11 +0100
              Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 10:30 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 19:54 +0100
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 12:31 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2016-07-01 07:59 +1200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Gareth Owen <gwowen@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 21:31 +0100
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 14:19 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 14:31 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 21:18 +0100
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 14:26 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 22:44 +0100
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 17:23 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2016-07-05 21:38 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> - 2016-07-05 21:05 +0100
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-05 13:32 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2016-07-05 23:20 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-05 14:25 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-05 16:14 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2016-07-06 11:18 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-06 03:36 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-05 16:23 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2016-07-06 11:29 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2016-07-06 02:49 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-06 05:18 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-07-06 13:57 +0100
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-06 06:24 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2016-07-06 15:22 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-06 07:12 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2016-07-06 08:08 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back supercat@casperkitty.com - 2016-07-06 09:00 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2016-07-07 08:01 +1200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back supercat@casperkitty.com - 2016-07-06 13:30 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-07-06 17:30 +0100
    Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 00:39 +0100
      Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back jacobnavia <jacob@jacob.remcomp.fr> - 2016-06-30 22:08 +0200
  Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back gordonb.h5sc5@burditt.org (Gordon Burditt) - 2016-06-29 20:52 -0500
    Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-29 19:00 -0700
      Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2016-06-30 16:06 +1200
        Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2016-06-30 02:48 -0700
          Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2016-06-30 23:25 +1200
            Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2016-06-30 04:39 -0700
              Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back jacobnavia <jacob@jacob.remcomp.fr> - 2016-06-30 21:50 +0200
            Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-06-30 06:49 -0700
              Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back jacobnavia <jacob@jacob.remcomp.fr> - 2016-06-30 22:23 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-04 10:43 -0700
                Vaporware (Was: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke ...) gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2016-07-04 17:59 +0000
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Randy Howard <rhoward.mx@EverybodyUsesIt.com> - 2016-07-06 12:38 -0500
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back "Rick C. Hodgin" <rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com> - 2016-07-06 11:38 -0700
          Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2016-06-30 19:51 +0100
            Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back jacobnavia <jacob@jacob.remcomp.fr> - 2016-06-30 21:59 +0200
              Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2016-07-01 01:05 -0700
        Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 11:32 +0100
          Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2016-06-30 23:23 +1200
            Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 14:28 +0100
              Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back supercat@casperkitty.com - 2016-06-30 08:24 -0700
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 16:56 +0100
              Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back jacobnavia <jacob@jacob.remcomp.fr> - 2016-06-30 22:17 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-06-30 22:22 +0100
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back jacobnavia <jacob@jacob.remcomp.fr> - 2016-07-01 08:25 +0200
                Re: Forward declarations ... the straw that broke the camel's back BartC <bc@freeuk.com> - 2016-07-01 12:09 +0100

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