The post somewhat misses the point of the title ( or I did overthink it). The anecdote is interesting, but not exactly a example of a arguable compiler bug. On the other hand, I think that The compiler is always right is a rather good general guideline for programming.
There are three models of programming [1] involved in programming, the one in the head of the programmer, the language specification and the one in the compiler. To look at them individually, it would be nice if the first one is right but of course it is pretty much by definition wrong. (Until we finally have the tools to program via telepathic link.) The second is the language, which should be the authoritative one. And the one in the compiler, which for pragmatic reasons wins. This is of course just a complicated way of saying that I am usually more interested in working code than in the standard.
[1] Here understood as the correspondence between source code and program.
There are three models of programming [1] involved in programming, the one in the head of the programmer, the language specification and the one in the compiler. To look at them individually, it would be nice if the first one is right but of course it is pretty much by definition wrong. (Until we finally have the tools to program via telepathic link.) The second is the language, which should be the authoritative one. And the one in the compiler, which for pragmatic reasons wins. This is of course just a complicated way of saying that I am usually more interested in working code than in the standard.
[1] Here understood as the correspondence between source code and program.