Enums

[Barry Margolin]

Allowing the programmer to specify the actual values for enums is a very
important feature in systems programming.  In many areas, one is handed
a protocol or device specification and one must write a driver.  The
specs usually contain arbitrary sets of values for some fields.  It is
very attractive to be able to use enums for these fields.  #defined
constants could be used, as they would have been before enums were added
to the language, but enums were invented to reduce the need for such
untyped constants.
-- 
    Barry Margolin
    ARPA: barmar at MIT-Multics
    UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmar