Declarations and defaulting in C

[DBrown at HI-MULTICS.ARPA]

  Not break user code.... hmmn.
  I wonder if the committee might consider publishing a discussion on
how to evolve a language.  Obviously programs with "a =- 3" are broken
by the release of the S5V1 compiler, and I regard this as a good thing.
On the other hand, I'd hate to have to go around rewriting programs
*often* because the language has done a "cobol" and sneaked out from
under my program.  (sneaked?  snuck?  sniggled?  double hmmn).
  I'll volunteer the Multics-ism that if a piece of software is allowed
to upgrade to a non-compatable format for its stored data, then that
program must contain a mechanism for upgrading data from the immediatly
previous version.
  As a Unix-ism this might be stated in the form of a YACC grammar for a
language-upgrading filter to use.
  As always, comments and attacks invited.
   --dave (unix hack on a bun) brown
     DBrown @ HI-Multics.ARPA
     drbrown at watbun.UUCP
     dave @ brown.TSD1.Honeywell