Re: technology discussion → does the world need a "new" C ?

On 12/07/2024 13:03, bart wrote:

On 12/07/2024 06:53, David Brown wrote:

On 11/07/2024 22:36, bart wrote:

On 11/07/2024 21:29, Keith Thompson wrote:

bart <bc@freeuk.com> writes:

>

The language could have helped a little by making this invalid:
>
    int A[20];
>
    void F(int B[20]) {}
>
The type of B looks just like that of A, but it isn't; the T[N] type
is silently changed to T*. The language could insist that you write:
>
    void F(int* B) {}

>
But it doesn't.  Why should we waste time in comp.lang.c explaining how
C *could* have been defined?  It's hard enough to explain how it
actually is defined, especially with your contributions.
>

This way, it is far clearer that a pointer is being passed, and 'pass
by value' now makes more sense. The way B will be used is now
consistent with the same declaration anywhere else.

>
But that's not C.

>
Why isn't it C?

>
Are you trying to blame us for how C is defined?

 KT has chosen not to answer, and now you are evading it too.

I am not evading it in any way.  I answered, and you snipped the answer.

I'm asking why this:
       void F(int* B) {}
 is 'not C' according to KT.

Keith did not say anything of the sort.
Why do you keep ignoring what people write, then argue against things that no one said?

 To be clear, I was proposing that:
   void F(int B[20])
 is an error, and requiring people to write:
   void F(int* B) {}
 instead.

And to be clear, no one has said that would be a bad idea (which does not mean that no one /thinks/ it would be a bad idea).  But it is not how C is defined as a language, and the C language - its compilers and existing code base - is not going to change on the whims of some guy off the internet who can't be bothered to learn the language properly.

I tried to enforce that in my C compiler, and it was a one-line change. But it can only be used for new programs, and so much existing code uses those value-array declarations, for example:
 LUALIB_API int (luaL_checkoption) (lua_State *L, int arg, const char *def,
                                    const char *const lst[]);
 

One person's private sort-of-C compiler is of no more relevance to the C community than one person's private language.  You are welcome to make as many non-conforming changes to your own tools as you like, but they do not make a difference to C.  No one else will ever use your tool, so no one else will ever care about any incompatible changes you make to it.  If /you/ are happier having such changes in your tools, then that is great for you.