Re: RFC: booleans and the kernel

[Jamie Lokier <lk@tantalophile.demon.co.uk>]

Gábor Lénárt wrote:
> Khmmm please enlighten me ...
> 
> >   if (X == true && ptr && *ptr > 1)
> 
> Why? Simply use for example type 'char' as boolean value. Let's say
> 0 means false and other value is true.
> 
> So:
> 
> if (x) printf("true");
> or
> if (!x) printf("false");
> 
> Why do you want to overcomplicate?

If the variable holds a boolean in the C language, fair enough but if
it's being used as a range in a truth-value system of _another_
language, i.e. it simply _represents_ a truth value, I would write it
differently.

If it were a theorem proving paper, the different kinds of variable
would have a different font or colour :-)

> x=a>b;
> if (x) printf("A is greater than B");
> 
> ONE thing which is best in C is the less strictly type rules eg you
> can use 'char' to store eg c='A' or c=2.

You seem to have missed the point.  We _know_ the C language rules.  I
agree that non-strict typeing is quite useful, although C is in fact
quite strict.  Lisp has far less strict typing :-)

> Hey guys, C was designed to write an OS it's not something other ...

Perhaps, but it's pretty useful for something other.

-- Jamie