Macro Preprocessor Extensions

[Guy Harris]

>> (Statement to the effect that the C preprocessor should not be made
>> lots more feature-rich)

> I'd second this, with the added comment:  Every Unix(tm) I've ever seen
> had the m4(1) macro processor in its library.

This would be perfect, except that {x|x is a system with C} !=
{x|x is a UNIX or UNIX-lookalike system}.  Almost all (if not all) of
the systems in the difference between the first and second sets lack
"m4".

I still agree that an excessively feature-rich preprocessor encourages
the invention of private dialects of languages; even with the current
C preprocessor, things like the bastard Algol 68-like dialect that the Bourne
shell and ADB are written in makes maintenance of those programs a pain
at times.

	Guy Harris
	{seismo,ihnp4,allegra}!rlgvax!guy