On using odd features of your local environment

[gnu at hoptoad.UUCP]

In article <2122 at watmath.UUCP>, atbowler at watmath.UUCP (Alan T. Bowler [SDG]) writes:
> There is a problem if you want to support a "nargs" function with this...
>                  There are 2 ways arround this...
>   2) delete nargs functionality...
> I know that the later option is one I must assume when I am writing
> very portable programs, but there are many times when I am writing
> system specific code and it is annoying...

I wonder what he means by "very portable programs"?

 *  I am writing this to sell it on 15 different micros and make
my fortune.
 *  The program needs to work at this site next year, after we
have scrapped our Vax and bought a RISC machine.
 *  The program needs to work for the guy that asks for it next week
over the net.
 *  I want to learn what real-world program maintenance is all about.

Or, in contrast, "system specific code":

 *  This was just written as an assignment for CS100 and it has no
use anyway.
 *  This is a tool I will want to use in my next job or class, but
I don't mind rewriting it.
 *  This is part of the kernel and nobody will ever port an OS kernel
to a different machine.  It just can't be done.
 *  Nobody maintains the C compiler and libraries here so they will
never change, so this assumption is safe.
 *  I just want this to work *now* and damn the torpedoes if it doesn't
work next week.
 *  I want to learn what real-world program maintenance is all about.

<:-)
-- 
John Gilmore  {sun,ptsfa,lll-crg,ihnp4}!hoptoad!gnu   jgilmore at lll-crg.arpa