CompuServe Messages

So you're saying that all compilers should adhere strictly to ANSI, and be completely non-innovative in every way? That everyone should code for the 2K embedded system with no I/O, just to make sure his code is super-portable. Get with it, Larry. This is the real world, where people are solving real problems. #pragmas and other ANSI extensions were provided because ANSI realized they _couldn't_ design the definitive language spec, because one doesn't exist. Every machine has its flaws and strengths, and compilers _have_ to be built with those flaws and strengths in mind. #pragmas such as intfunc are designd, by nature, to be non-portable constructs that make life on a particular machine (the Amiga, in this case) much easier. And because #pragmas are _always_ implimentation defined, they are easy for a maintenance programmer to single out when porting code. People with your attitude seem to forget that programs aren't written for the sake of art – they're written for _users_, who have very real and concrete needs. And its the job of programmers to meet those needs, on matter what it takes.