Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!amdahl!oliveb!epimass!csi!jwhitnel From: jwhitnel@csi (Jerry Whitnell) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c Subject: Re: C Review Message-ID: <703@csi> Date: Wed, 14-Jan-87 19:47:59 EST Article-I.D.: csi.703 Posted: Wed Jan 14 19:47:59 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 16-Jan-87 01:20:12 EST References: <2313@brl-adm.ARPA> Organization: Communications Solutions Inc. San Jose CA Lines: 55 In article <2313@brl-adm.ARPA> you write: >some opinions from other C programmers. Below is a list of some >his statements. Is this guy for real? Your comments would be >greatly appreciated. Incidentally, the text is not an intro >text, it assumes the reader has finished a course in Pascal. > >"... 95% of all C programmers couldn't give you a good >explanation of the term lvalue..." False. I would guess 1/3 to 1/2 could give you a definition. 95% couldn't give you a complete and technically correct definition. > >"... Switch/case could be classified as rarely used and should be >kept till later. False. Switch statements are a very useful and very commonly used construct. I would guess 90+% of all C programs use at least one. > >"... very few C programmers know much about sizeof..." False. Most C programmers know and understand the uses of sizeof (even if some don't use it when they should!) > >"... 99% of all professional C programmers have no idea >what typedef is all about, couldn't care less and probably >won't ever need it." False. Most C programmers do know what typedef is, even though the construct is relativly new to the language. This is becauase most C programmer's are also relativly new. > >"... 99% of all professional C programmers have no idea >what the comma operator is all about, couldn't care less and >probably won't ever need it." Probably true. I use it, but wouldn't miss it if it wasn't there. > >"... Leave the comma operator altogether. An intro book is no >place for obscure and unmaintainable tricks..." > True. >"... Pointers to functions ... few C programmers understand >them or would ever need them..." False. Anyone who has programmed the Macintosh needs to understand them and use them. Pointers to functions are a necessary and useful tool for any professional programmer. > >"... a C programmer never needs to know what a byte is..." False. Understanding the byte is necessary to understand the technicques of writing truly machine independent code. My answers are based on 8+ years of C programming and of reading 1000's of C programs written by all levels of programmers.