__/ [ Jim Richardson ] on Thursday 29 June 2006 07:18 \__
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> On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 11:14:22 -0000,
> Tim Smith <reply_in_group@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> In article <7or9n3-5jp.ln1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Mark Kent wrote:
>>> Source-code, by its nature, is a superior standards-writing language than
>>> English (or French or Spanish), as it can be compiled directly using
>>> compilers onto multiple, different, platforms.
>>
>> Using source-code as a standards-writing language will mingle the standard
>> with the implementation. Someone looking at the code won't know what
>> things were simply implementation decisions, and what things are actually
>> required by the standard.
>>
>> Source code is useful as part of a standard to provide examples of how
>> particular parts of the standard *could* be implemented.
>>
>
> Source code can tell you what the code does, not neccessarily what the
> coder *meant* to do.
To rephrase that (I hope you don't mind), source code tells you what a
_binary_ file does, which tells you what the coder intends to do on your
machine (e.g. does s/he phone home?).
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | England - 1 Ecuador - 0
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