Re: VS2005 doesn't like its own suggestions

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"David F" <David-White@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OoXuPl0jFHA.320@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


1.  Me, as an individual doing whatever with my program, is by no
means even close in its consequences to what MS does, even if both of
us doing the same. When I typedef in my program, it has an effect
ONLY on me.
When MS does, it imposes something on just about 3 million C++
programmers.


It imposes nothing in this case. I have never used INT and never felt I
needed to.

2. MS, as an irresponsible entity, on top of shaving my throat yet
another keyword - INT, kept changing its definition - so far for
"portability".


No, INT has always been a typedef for int. What has changed is the size of
int (note the lowercase). It used to be 16 bit and is now 32 bit. This
change was consistent with C++, which only requires that int be at least 16
bit.

You are in any event wrong to say that changes to a typedef are inconsistent
with portability. It is precisely because a typedef can be changed that it
aids portability --- you can change it to what each platform requires.

Moreover, nobody showed why INT, even if they would
not keep
changing it, contributes to portability more than if they would keep
int as 32 bit int. See again my analysis.


See again my analysis.

3. I am afraid that several participants here miss a fundamental
point.
To say that a certain OS support a certain language, means that one
can use that language, and that language alone, w/o any other "keyword",
to complete his writing.


An identifier declared by a typedef is not a keyword.

Several people here confuse the term
"extensibility". They claim that "everybody does it" - "everybody has
extentions". Extentions means adding library functions,
that can simply save time
when writing a program, but it is up to a programer to decide whether
to use those libraries on the one hand but can as well accomplish the
same result by not using them. There is no language changes here.


It is you who are confused. The C++ standard specifically makes provision
for extensions which include the introduction of new keywords. In any event,
there are no language changes in a typedef for INT.

Those MS' keywords & OS/compiler are changing, distort the language
and sometimes forcing me to use them in order to accomplish certain
functionality.


A compiler is compliant with the C++ standard if it will compile standard
C++ code. Whether or not it will compile other code is irrelevant. Since,
bugs aside, VC++ will compile essentially all standard C++ code, you are not
forced to use non-standard code due to any choice by Microsoft. If you are
"forced" to use non-standard code, it is because standard C++ does not
support the functionality you require. The limitations of standard C++ are
not Microsoft's fault. Quite frankly, you have no idea what you are talking
about.

MS has no business in defining, "extending" languages. They also
don't have the capacity in doing a good job at it. They should
develop OSes, compilers, IDEs, etc. Defining a language is too big on
them (if not on almost any single
body and that is why there are bodies such as ISO).  They either
support a standard language, such as ISO C++ - FULLY and AS IS or not.
No ifs no buts.


Microsoft has defined several languages (Visual Basic and C# come to mind).
We are, however, discussing making extensions to them. As noted above,
standard C++ makes provision for extensions. Moreover, such extensions
provide a proving ground for changes that may be incorporated into future
versions of the C++ standard.

--
John Carson

.

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