Re: [9fans] how to avoid a memset() optimization

["Douglas A. Gwyn" <DAGwyn@null.net>]

Steve's reponse was very nice.  Another way of putting it
is that the "right" behavior is not at all obvious once
you think hard enough about it and examine a wide enough
variety of platforms and application requirements.  One
of the tasks undertaken by the C standards committee was
to negotiate among the conflicting demands and to draw
the line somewhere.  Individuals would very likely draw
the line in other places, depending on their personal
prejudices and values.  If the existing standard
specification is causing significant real problems, there
is a mechanism in place to get it reconsidered and maybe
the official line could be redrawn.  The really important
thing is to understand where the official line *is* and
to observe it (on both sides, programmer and implementor);
that allows all parties to work together even if they all
still want to grumble about some aspect of the work..