Base comments (was Re: This one bit me today)

[Frank Wales]

In article <509 at sagpd1.UUCP> jharkins at sagpd1.UUCP (Jim Harkins) writes:
>In article <1989Oct23.161744.29153 at utzoo.uucp> henry at utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>>Nobody has ever quite gotten around to using `@' in C.
>
>I know, we'll use @ for nested comments!  :-)

I suggest using @ to mean "that special form of NULL which can be used
legally where the real thing cannot".  Dereferencing @ yields one of @,
NULL or void, as appropriate.

We can call it 'bottom', as in "disappearing up one's @."

And to introduce some wanton ambiguity into the language, /@ (slash-bottom)
can introduce a nestable comment, *@ (star-bottom) can introduce Tahnee
Welch, and <@ (from-the-bottom) can cause a jump to the local FORTRAN
compiler for the remainder of the program.
--
Frank Wales, Systems Manager,        [frank at zen.co.uk<->mcvax!zen.co.uk!frank]
Zengrange Ltd., Greenfield Rd., Leeds, ENGLAND, LS9 8DB. (+44) 532 489048 x217