Tom, I understand your research on the historical usage of null, but in PostgreSQL we have not two but three possible uses for n-u-l-l:
o null pointer o null byte o null SQL value With that list, anything that makes null clearer is great. I think we should just standardize on 'NUL' for a null byte, or 'nul'. I think the code would benefit from that clarification. I usually do: #define NUL '\0' in my C code. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Lane wrote: > Neil Conway <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > In C, "NULL" denotes a special pointer value indicating the pointer > > points to no value. "NUL" is the ASCII character that terminates a C > > string. These two terms are not synonymous, so this patch corrects the > > usage of NULL in comments in the postgres source. > > However, lower case "null" is commonly used for both meanings. > I cite the C99 standard: > > ... A byte with all bits set to 0, > called the null character, shall exist in the basic > execution character set; it is used to terminate a character > string. > > The standard thereafter consistently uses "the null character" to > refer to '\0'. Kernighan & Ritchie first edition tends to use boldface > "\0" in running text, but the initial use of that symbol is *defined as* > "the <i>null character</>, whose value is zero" (their italics). > > In my experience "NUL" is actually less common than other names for > the null character. > > In short, I think most of this patch is just pedantry. Could you > trim it down to just the places where there's actually risk of > confusion? (I do agree that upper case NULL is not appropriate as > a name for the character.) > > regards, tom lane > > ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- > TIP 8: explain analyze is your friend > -- Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us [EMAIL PROTECTED] | (610) 359-1001 + If your life is a hard drive, | 13 Roberts Road + Christ can be your backup. | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073 ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate subscribe-nomail command to [EMAIL PROTECTED] so that your message can get through to the mailing list cleanly