A flex generated scanner could decide to store the entire input file   
   in memory. That way, a single buffer can be used in several places in   
   the tool chain that uses a scanner.   
      
   Is this an idea that has been explored and thought of as unworthy?   
      
   I know that multiple input files could increase the size of the   
   buffer(s) but hey, we are living in the age of 100s of MB of main   
   memory.   
      
   Sincerely.   
   [This is a very old idea.  Turbo Pascal buffered full source files in   
   RAM in the 1980s. -John]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)