John Harrison wrote:
>
> "Pieter Pareit" <pieter.pareit@planetinternet.be> wrote in message
> news:9fbd67$n2v$1@news.planetinternet.be...
> > Can you show me the part of the standard for c++ that says I don't have to
> > return a value from main?
> >
> > tnx;
> >
>
> Section 3.6.1.5 - 'If control reaches the end of main without encountering a
> return statement, the effect is that of executing return 0;'
>
> But why? That's what I want to know.

It does have the desirable effect of removing one commonly
invoked piece of undefined behaviour from the Standard; it
has been very common for sloppy users to fail to return a
value from main.  (It has the undesirable effect of
introducing an inconsistency, in that main is the only
function to which this applies.)

I don't know if that was the reason for the change though,
as I was not part of the Standardisation process when the
rule was written.

Can anybody on comp.std.c++ cast any light on this?

-- James Dennett

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