I wouldn't call it a mistake. That's how the language was defined at the time. If it was a mistake, it was a mistake in the language, not in the compiler. (Admi

I wouldn't call it a mistake. That's how the language was defined at the time. If it was a mistake, it was a mistake in the language, not in the compiler. (Admittedly, given the lack of a standard at the time, the line between the two is less clear than it is now.)