libgloss/arm/libcfunc.c: alarm [PATCH]

Schwarz, Konrad konrad.schwarz@siemens.com
Fri Jul 15 08:23:00 GMT 2005


> -----Original Message-----
> From: newlib-owner@sources.redhat.com 
> [mailto:newlib-owner@sources.redhat.com] On Behalf Of Shaun Jackman
> Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 9:46 PM
> Casting to (void) is legal C and is a common idiom [1] to 
> explicitly point out that the coder does not intend to use 
> the value of any particular expression, not just an unused 
> identifier. For example, in libgloss/rs6000/sol-cfuncs.c the 
> author has written...
>   (void) write (2, msg, p-msg);
> ... and by casting to (void) has stated explicitly that he or 
> she hasn't simply forgotten to check the return value of 
> write(2) for an error, but that the correct response to an 
> error in this case is to ignore it.
> 
> I much prefer (void)identifier; to identifier=identifier; 
> because the former is expressing exactly what I mean, "I do 
> not care what the value of the following expression is." 
> whereas the latter looks like a potentially meaningful operation.

Note that GCC has defines a variable attribute named unused intended for
marking variables unused.

(Personally, I feel that none of the original poster's stylistic
complaints are valid, though.)



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