I really prefer that '.' and '->' remain separate, because it makes it immediately clear when a potentially expensive pointer derefence is happening: x = a

I really prefer that '.' and '->' remain separate, because it makes it immediately clear when a potentially expensive pointer derefence is happening: x = a->b->c->d->e; ...is a pointer-hunting-nightmare / potential cache-miss-galore. x = a.b.c.d.e; ...no problem, the whole chain is resolved at compile time into a single offset and results in at most one memory access. x = a.b.c->d.e; ...makes it immediately clear that c->d is a pointer access and everything else isn't. PS: ...and of course C++ messed this simple rule up with the introduction of references.