From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!orion!lime!houti!hogpc!houxq!bis
Newsgroups: net.flame
Title: Re: ENGINEERS!  defensive response to mr. grim.
Article-I.D.: houxq.341
Posted: Wed Mar 23 19:04:27 1983
Received: Thu Mar 24 21:43:16 1983
References: ihuxt.178


	"And variable names, I see things like i, j, and k in "C"
	language. Just what is k?."

Variables `i', `j' and `k' are indexes that are used for iteration
and have no real meaning apart from loop controllers (historically
all the letters from `i' to `n' (as in INteger) are used for this
purpose).  A small example from K&R (p. 59) will illustrate:

reverse(s)	/* reverse string s in place	*/
char s[];
{
	int c, i, j;
	
	for (i = 0; j = strlen (s) - 1; i < j; i++, j--) {
	     c = s[i];
	     s[i] = s[j];
	     s[j] = c;
	}
}    

	I find it hard to believe that anybody would have difficulty
understanding the use of the variables in this function, uncommented
though they are, or would recommend that `i' be renamed `forward_stepper'
and `j' `backward_stepper'.

		Andrew Shaw
		BTLHO x4715
		houxq!bis	(possible)
		houxm!hocpc!ams	(possible)