Re: Java language spec question: statements

Wayne <nospam@all.4me.invalid> writes:


  The classical C block structure was:

      { /* declarations */
        /* statements */ }

  . A declaration is a kind of agreement with the compiler
  about the meaning of an identifier, but it has no specified
  run-time effect. A statement usually has a specified
  run-time effect that will happen after the effect of any
  preceding statement of the block and before the effect
  of any following statement of the block.

  (A declaration might have an effect at run-time, such as the
  allocation of stack memory, but this is not specified and
  might not happen in the order of the declarations written.)

  Later, C changed to allow declarations everywhere within a
  block. This is also allowed by C++. The C grammar reflects
  this, by having a block containing ?block items?, where a
  ?block item? might be a declaration or a statement. So, in
  C, today, a declaration is not a statement, but it is a
  ?block item?.

  In C++, however, a ?compound statement? does not contain
  ?items?, but ?statements?, therefore, declarations had to
  become ?statements? in C++, which - in my opinion - does not
  reflect their semantics.

  Java, then, tried to appear ?similar to C++? and, therefore,
  followed C++ in this regard.