Re: why use -> (not .) with pointers?
Felix Kater wrote:
> when accessing the variables in a struct: What's the reason why in C
> you have -> and . instead of only . ?
Historical. I seem to recall . came first, -> came later.
> Are there cases in which the compiler couldn't figure out what to do?
If the language definition said that . would dereferece
pointers, or that -> would work on structures, the compiler
would have no problem implementing it.
Whether that was true for the original implementation of
C (which, do remember, worked in a environment where the
amount of available memory wouldn't even be enough for a
decent *image* on today's machines), I don't know.
It's not likely to change.
--
Chris "electric hedgehog" Dollin
It's called *extreme* programming, not *stupid* programming.
.
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