Heroic failures (q = q++)

[Alan M. Carroll]

In article <946.imc at uk.ac.ox.prg>, imc at prg.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier) writes:
> I have noticed quite a lot of talk recently about things like this...
> 
> In article <4210 at ksr.com>, jfw at ksr.com (John F. Woods) wrote:
> >Note that because it is *undefined*, the compiler was perfectly at
> >liberty to generate
> >	JSR _cpu$detonate
> Now I was just wondering, is there any statement in the ANSI standard
> which prohibits self-destruction of the CPU or any similar behaviour
> which might be physically dangerous or expensive? If not, do you think
> such limits would be reasonable to include?

Think of it as Evolution in Action. You have two populations,
compilers and their natural prey, programmers. Compilers that have
better quality will preserve programmers better, and prosper. Those
that eat their programmers too frequently will run out of users and
expire.

-- 
Alan M. Carroll          <-- Another casualty of applied metaphysics
Epoch Development Team   
Urbana Il.               "I hate shopping with the reality-impaired" - Susan