[Info-vax] C str calls

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2015-08-24 08:23:31 +0000, johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk said:

> I like descriptors, and the things they enable, and the things they can 
> (when used properly) prevent. VMS descriptors already do the things you 
> mention - length of contents  (allocated and maximum), pointer to data.
> 
> VMS descriptors also contain other stuff to allow them to be used for 
> non-string types...

Descriptors are part of the way to including dynamically-dispatched 
function entrypoints — having executable code able to be associated 
with the data — and some other useful features.  Add the ability to 
dynamically dispatch calls, change the descriptor structures to be 
opaque "blobs", and you have something very close to objects...  Pretty 
soon you're looking at what .NET and other operating system 
environments have, and an API that can be simpler and more flexible and 
involves less user-written glue code.


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