The problem with not allowing language extensions to be used is that it promotes the staleness of the language. Just as human languages evolve as people use an

The problem with not allowing language extensions to be used is that it promotes the staleness of the language. Just as human languages evolve as people use and adjust it, programming languages evolve as people start trying to change it to better suit their needs. The difference with human languages and programming ones is that there's a relatively easy process to get everyone in sync on how it changes for programming languages. :) I also agree with the grandparent comment that more features should be specified and incorporated into the C standard. The fact they exist and are in wide use says a lot all by itself.