A single vote by X3J13 may be discussed in many parts of this book, and a single passage of this book may be affected by many of the votes. In no way does this book constitute a definitive description of the forthcoming ANSI standard. Nevertheless, it is quite probable that the draft standard will be substantively revised in response to editorial review or public comment. I have therefore reported here on the actions of X3J13 not to inscribe them in stone, but to make clear how the language of the first edition is likely to change. This book has been designed to be used as a reference both to the 1984 definition and to the language as modified by the actions of X3J13.
All new material is identified by solid lines in the left margin.
Dotted lines in the left margin indicate material from the first edition that applies to the 1984 definition but that has been modified by a vote of X3J13. To use the updated language definition, read everything, but be wary of material with a dotted line in the margin. I have kept changes to the wording of the first-edition material to a minimum. Obvious spelling and typographical errors have been corrected, and the entire text has been edited to a uniform style of spelling and punctuation. A few minor changes were made to accommodate typographical or layout constraints.