Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!PETERSC0%VUCTRVAX.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.EDU
From: PETERSC0%VUCTRVAX.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Style (general)
Message-ID: <8324@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 16-Jul-87 23:35:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-adm.8324
Posted: Thu Jul 16 23:35:55 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jul-87 10:21:37 EDT
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
Lines: 31


    I'm sure I'll get jumped on for this, but what the heck...

    As far as I am concerned there is no justification (unless you know
that one form is clearly better than the other for your compiler and
machine) to use ++index over index++ (or vice versa).  Since my latest
project is being written in Pascal (grumble, grumble, no C for our main
VAXen), I long for either or both of these functions!  I forgot to
mention one other case to be made for one or the other of the above, if
your program/sub-program depends on which way it goes, it obviously makes
a difference...

    The main quibble I have with C programmers (none of you, of course) in
general is that they get carried away with the famed terseness and compact-
ness of C.  They tend to compact their valiables and declarations and
everything that they control until it is (often) unreadable to most non-
gurus.  It may be my heritage as a Pascal (and even Cobol) programmer or
the fact that my prof.s are killing me with 'style' issues, but I like to
know what the program means at a glance...

    I really only see two classes of style issues.  The first is the issue
of whether or not you make your names/definitions clear.  The second is
how you place your grouping symbols (begin/end and {/}) and how far you
squash your statements (1/line or 10/line).  The rest (except for comments,
which I won't go into) is personal...

    The fire-retardent suit is on, so flame away...

Chris Petersen
petersc0@vuctrvx1.bitnet
"Dr. Tachyon, I presume?"