Order of Evaluation

[Henry Spencer]

In article <21265 at usc.edu> gould at physics.usc.edu (Christopher M. Gould) writes:
>	Why is the order of evaluation of subexpressions undefined?

(1) Because compilers can optimize better if they are free to rearrange
	subexpressions.  Often a lot better.

(2) Because [mount pulpit] you shouldn't be depending on such ugliness
	anyway, so it shouldn't make a difference.

>... it would reduce the number of ambiguous statements
>legally constructed within the language.  (Whether this is in itself a
>"good thing" is perhaps the real issue.)

Good programmers simply avoid the ambiguity.  I can't see that it does
any harm.  Attempting to legislate good programming does not work.
-- 
A bit of tolerance is worth a  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
megabyte of flaming.           | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry at zoo.toronto.edu