Third public review of X3J11 C

[Dan Schlitt]

Yes, it is certainly true that many people who will have an interest
in the results of the standardization process for both fortran and C
didn't (and don't) know about it.  I have learned by sad experience
that that is just the way it is.  "I didn't know that the city was
planning to put in that dump right next door to me!"  "Well, you
should have.  There was the required legal notice in the paper and
there were stories on TV and in the newspaper."  "Yes, but I didn't
think they meant next door to ME."  You can lead a student to
information but you can't make him think.

I'm very cynical about the utility of public notice about events of
potential significance.  If you think that an organization of which
you are a member let you down by not giving you information about the
C standardization then write to the organization and complain.  Then
maybe it won't happen next time.  And maybe you will pay more
attention next time -- I know that I will.

ACM SIGNUM has given attention to the floating point arithmetic and
fortran standardization.  I think they missed out on C.  That is too
bad.  Those of us who are members probably goofed by not getting
something in the Newsletter.  Of course, the Fortran Forum of ACM gave
good coverage of the fortran process.  USENIX covered the C
standardization in ;login and also POSIX etc.  A quick look through
the back issues of SIAMNEWS makes me think that SIAM let its members
down on the standarization issues.

So next time let's not make the same mistake; make a new one.