Re: Just an observation

[James Lampert <jamesl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Simon Coulter wrote:

> Can't recall about Pascal but C requires two operators because it  
> allows assignment IN an equality context (i.e., if ( a = b) which  
> doesn't behave in the obvious manner). The only reason C can do this  
> is because it also has the behaviour of 0 is false and anything else  
> is true. Any language that allows both assignment and equality in the  
> same statement requires two operators in order to distinguish between  
> both operations.

Assignment within an equality (and the other possibilities, equality 
within an assignment, multiple assignment (of the form a=b=c=1 meaning 
"a:=1;b:=1;c:=1"), and multiple equality (with that same form meaning 
"a==b and b==c and c==1") constitutes the 0.01% of cases I mentioned, 
where the context would be ambiguous, and separate operators needed.