NetNews Offline 2/NetNews Offline Volume 2.iso/news/comp/lang/c-part1/5588

Text File | 1996-08-05 | 3.3 KB | 80 lines

Path: sun001.spd.dsccc.com!spd!jmccarty
From: [e-mail] (Mike McCarty)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: What to do when feof() is NOT feof()
Date: 20 Feb 1996 01:23:47 GMT
Organization: DSC Communications Corporation, Plano, Texas USA
Message-ID: <4gb7r3$[e-mail]>
References: <4g7rsj$[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: aplo139.spd.dsccc.com

In article <[e-mail]>,
Syed Zaeem Hosain <[e-mail]> wrote:

)I would have to differ. Dan has always offered *correct* advice when it
)is called for. While I do not necessarily always agree with his way of
)doing so, his point here is still well taken.

This is false. On more than one occasion Dan has posted incorrect
information, and when challenged either just silently gone away, or
responded with verbal abuse.

)When somebody is asking a question about something (that they are
)obviously unknowledgable or confused about), giving them incorrect
)answers only propagates the confusion. So please don't guess, please
)don't offer any incorrect suggestions, please don't confuse them
)further, etc.

I think that guessing can be very helpful, myself. Especially when a
newbie has asked a "fuzzy" question. Then guessing things like

    I think that you are using an MSDOS machine; if so then...

        or

    assuming you meant ... then ...

can be very useful. And in any case, where does the charter of this
newsgroup state that only bona fide, certified, Dan Pop-a-fied experts
are allowed to post responses? This is an UNMODERATED newsgroup.

)>I may not be an expert but I know if you open a file with fopen(
)>"filename", "rt"), then fgets stops reading when it finds a ascii 26 and
)>signals end-of-file. If you open it with fopen( "filename","rb") it reads until
)>the real end-of-file. I noticed in your smart-ass reply you did not offer any
)>answers to his problem. Maybe you should take you own advice.
)
)On my SunOS system, there is no such ascii 26 byte denoting end of file
)and fgets will *not* terminate in this manner. The point is that by
)making such incorrect responses (like you did by insisting on this
)point) is just plain wrong. It has nothing to do with the language or
)how the end of files are denoted in most operating systems. Even in
)PC's running MSDOS, there is no such requirement that there *must* be
)an ascii 26 at the end of text files. Certain editors (Brief is an
)example. microEMacs is another) can easily be configured to create such
)ascii files without this byte.

His response is not incorrect. It is just incomplete. There is a
difference. But calling someone an idiot is incorrect.

)Note that even the EOF result returned (look in stdio.h) has nothing to
)do with the actual byte at the end of the file.

Yes, it does, on some systems. This is a very strong statement for you
to make, especially in light of the next statement.

)The bottom line still is: please do not offer answers if you do not
)know the correct answer.

Ah, I see. Do as I say, not as I do. Since you offered answers here
which are not correct.

It would be a lot calmer and more fun to read this group if people could
treat each other with a normal dose of courtesy.

Mike
----
char *p="char *p=%c%s%c;main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}";main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}

I don't speak for DSC.         <- They make me say that.