Fast code and no morals

[lars at acc.arpa]

> Date: 11 Feb 86 13:40:30 GMT
> 
> > exit(0);
> 
>     This isn't portable to VMS.  (-: Does anybody care about VMS,
> though? :-)  0 is an undefined status code in VMS!
> 		<_Jym_> dyer at dec-vaxuum.uucp

> Date:     Sat, 15 Feb 86 21:43:34 EST
> 
> If VMS does not support exit(0) as successful termination,
> then VMS is WRONG and needs to fix their exit() routine.
>           Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn at BRL.ARPA>

I know this is naive, but then this flock is full of naive users...
Doug, where exactly do Kernighan & Ritchie specify the semantics of
the exit() procedure ?

The common semantics seem to me to be "return to the surrounding
operating system level, using the argument value as the return code".
Unfortunately for portability, UN*X and VMS have different ideas about
the semantics of program return codes, but you can't say VMS is WRONG
just because it's DIFFERENT unless you can quote chapter and verse.

Does the ANSI draft specify semantics for system calls ?

			/ Lars Poulsen
			  Advanced Computer Communications
			 <Lars @ ACC.ARPA>

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