Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Re: Use of expression values in C Message-ID: <5764@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Mon, 8-Jul-85 17:26:00 EDT Article-I.D.: utzoo.5764 Posted: Mon Jul 8 17:26:00 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 8-Jul-85 17:26:00 EDT References: <474@crystal.UUCP> <397@umcp-cs.UUCP> <721@wlcrjs.UUCP> <5755@utzoo.UUCP>, <685@lll-crg.ARPA> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 23 > ... perhaps my opinion that > > if((fptr = fopen(filename, "r")) == NULL) { > fprintf(stderr, "Can't open %s for reading\n", filename); > exit(1); > } > > if perfectly clear to anyone who understands the C language and is not > obfuscatory is misinformed. You can be assured that I will continue to > use it and I will not hire any "professional programmers" who consider > it bad programming practice... That's probably just as well, since they probably don't want to work for someone who thinks "readability" is a Boolean characteristic! I didn't say it wasn't readable, or that I couldn't read it; I said that it isn't *as* readable as it *could* *be*, and that this is undesirable. The degree of readability of "if ((foo=..." is a reasonable subject of debate, but I decline to back down on the general assertion that one mark of a professional is a genuine effort to *maximize* readability, not just to bring it above some minimum threshold. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry