C and Low-level Storage (was: I need a new compiler...

<much debate snipped>

Michael Wojick,
I can't tell. Have you been debating a "real-world" issue or a philosophical
one?

In other words, are there existing implementations of C that (as required)
support "pointers" but do NOT allow (or support) pointers that "get the
program" to system-level storage?

I am NOT a C programmer, but when I have interacted with those that do use it,
it seems to me that all implementations that they use DO allow the C program to
access (at least "read") data at "system controlled" (low-level?) storage.

It is also true, that some "systems" do NOT allow the "average" C (or Assembler
or whatever) program to MODIFY "system-controlled" storage, but that is a
different question (to me) than accessing such storage.

If there are C implementations that do not allow programmers to "read" the
storage where "system control blocks, etc" reside, I would be interested in
which C and on what platforms these exist.

If you are just stating that the C Standard does not REQUIRE this, then that may
be "nice to know" - but is different from what actual implementations DO.

--
Bill Klein
wmklein <at> ix.netcom.com


.

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