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From: bs@research.att.com (Bjarne Stroustrup)
Subject: Re: iostream changes
Date: 1997/09/11
Message-ID: <EGDHsv.60w@research.att.com>#1/1
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As part of a very nice posting about standardizing C++ and problems
with the "Hello, world!" program using iostreams, Steve Clamage writes

 > I sympathize with Al Stevens' problems trying to write about
 > C++ in a changing world. I claim his problems are no worse
 > with the advent of the standard than they were before. The
 > situation is analagous to writing about C in, say, 1989.
 > This too shall pass.

Indeed, consider the famous program from K&R1:

	main()
	{
		printf("Hello, world!\n");
	}

The ANSI C committe - very reluctantly - broke it. They had to to get a language
that was consistent, efficient, and sufficiently portable. They broke it by
requiring that a varadic function, such as printf, had to be declared before
it was used. Thus, every C programmer had to add

	#include <stdio.h>

to this program (adding 25% in linecount and more than 33% in character count).

Was that a nuiscance? Yes, especially for textbook writers and students.
Did the requirement improve the language to the benefit of the users? Yes.

Amazing how history repeats itself.

Wellcome to the world of:

	#include<iostream>

	int main()
	{
		std::cout << "Hello, world\n";
	}

Soon it will work everywhere. Being a sufferer myself, I too sympatize with
people who have trouble with inconsistent implementations, but as Steve said:
"This too shall pass," and we will all benefit in the slightly longer run.

	- Bjarne

Bjarne Stroustrup, AT&T Labs, http://www.research.att.com/~bs
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