Subject: Re: Question about initializing variables
To: Chris G Demetriou <Chris_G_Demetriou@ux2.sp.cs.cmu.edu>
From: Joao Carlos Mendes Luis <jonny@gaia.coppe.ufrj.br>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 04/08/1996 20:10:48
#define quoting(Chris G Demetriou)
// > > ...
// > > /* counters */
// > > long ntransmitted = 0;
// > > ...
// > > main(argc, argv)
// > > ...
// >
// > Doing this would place the variable int the data segment ... that could
// > nickel-and-dime us into a lot of extra on-disk code bloat.
//
// And not only that, it would have no useful effect!
//
// BSS variables are defined to have a starting value of zero.
// (I forget where that's defined; maybe ANSI... in any case, where it
// is, they're most likely called unintialized globals, or something...)
Just remember that this is not true on all operating systems. Once
I had a program that worked perfectly on NetBSD but did not work on
SunOS 4.1.2. The problem: non-initialized variables that should have
zeros as value...
Surelly not a problem if intended to use only in internal programs.
// In other words, as charles said: "It's not a bug."
Personally, I call it programming discipline: "NEVER leave a variable,
any variable, without initialization !"
Jonny
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Joao Carlos Mendes Luis jonny@coe.ufrj.br
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