6 char externs and the ANSI standard

[Zonker T. Chuqui]

I have to agree. 6 char externs are ugly. But look at reality for a second.
there are many, many, MANY systems out there with this (or similar)
restrictions inbred into the system software. Manufacturers who would want
to implenent a standard C compiler would have to change ALL of their
software to meet that standard. For example, the DEC people would not only
have to change/'fix' vax-11C, but cobol, pascal, fortran, bliss, logo,
smalltalk, euclid, macro, and the kitchen sink. that's a LOT of man years.
then they give it to their customers, and suddenly all the object files
break. And the object only programs you bought stop working. And... And.
And. 

what would really happen, of course, is that the manufacturers who have
these kinds of restrictions wouldn't fix them, they'd document it as a
slight variation from the standard, in small print, in the manual they
forgot to ship. And the software that is 'standard' would not work, or be
flakey, or work most of the time. Much as I hate this restriction, I think
it has to be considered or we'll simply leave a loophole in the standard
that'll come back to bite us later.

chuq (upward compatibility sucks, but the alternative is worse)
-- 
>From the Department of Bistromatics:                   Chuq Von Rospach
{cbosgd,decwrl,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui  nsc!chuqui at decwrl.ARPA

How about 'reason for living?'