[CLN-list] doc: "Obfuscating operators"

[Richard B. Kreckel]

Hi!

Joerg Arndt wrote:
> Regarding the entry "Obfuscating operators" in the doc: I strongly
> suggest to remove the section and enable the shortcut operators by
> default.  People who do not want to use them don't have to.  Giving a
> opinion as a fact is not very helpful.  For me the shortcut operators
> as in a+=b are more readable than the long a=a+b form.
> 
> You may want to keep the remark the in CLN there is no performance
> gain in using the shortcut forms so people who dislike them know they
> can stick to the long form without a performance penalty.

Okay, I've checked in a patch that removes the need to #define 
WANT_OBFUSCATING_OPERATORS in CLN 1.2.1 on the ground that, nowadays, 
such operators are assumed to exist and behave as expected in many 
template metaprogramming applications.

(Well, it's not a big deal to #define it, though. For the record, I've 
dug out an old email where Bruno justifies this with other 
eccentricities and spleens, like Linus using his birthday as magic 
number for the mount syscall. Essentially, the idea is that such quirks 
are amusing when they are eventually discovered by fellow hackers. 
Maybe, I should concoct another joke, now.)

Cheers
   -richy.
-- 
Richard B. Kreckel
<http://www.ginac.de/~kreckel/>