From: Stephan Wilms <Stephan.Wilms@CWA.de>
Subject: Re: Coding for Obscurity
Date: 1997/11/20
Date: 1997-11-20T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <34741AAF.1C7@CWA.de> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 3474BF28.2F9F@dynamite.com.au
Alan E & Carmel J Brain wrote:
>
> firewind wrote:
>
> > I find myself using a construct like this a lot recently (snipped directly
> > from code I'm working on right now):
> >
> > if(!to && !(to = malloc(sizeof *to)))) return(NULL);
> >
> > The
> > if(foo() || bar())
> >
> > construct may seem obfuscated and weird to you, it is the way the logic of
> > some people's minds work.
>
> No further evidence, I rest my case.
>
> Would anyone in comp.lang.c like to comment?
Yes, I'll volunteer a little comment: code like that has a lot of
disadvantages: it is obfuscated (it's only the author wh thinks that
the code is readable) and it's hard to debug and maintain. It sure
wouldn't pass through my code inspection.
To explain: readability of code is not targeted at the author of the
code or maybe his office pal, it is targeted at someone having to
read and understand a whole big package of source code, to make
some important modification or to find a bug a year after the software
has been written and archived. The author might not even be available
at this moment. Even the smallest effort helps a lot.
In detail: I would reqrite the first example like this:
/* Sensible comment about what get's allocated. */
if ( to == NULL )
{
to = malloc( sizeof *to);
if ( to == NULL ) return NULL;
}
Stephan
(initiator of the campaign against grumpiness in c.l.c)
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1997-11-20 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 147+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
[not found] <343fbb5a.0@news.iprolink.ch>
1997-10-11 0:00 ` Programming language vote - results Gary L. Scott
1997-10-12 0:00 ` Jack Rudd
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Gary L. Scott
1997-10-13 0:00 ` safetran
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Jack Rudd
1997-10-14 0:00 ` Philip Brashear
1997-10-14 0:00 ` Gary L. Scott
1997-10-13 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Robert Munck
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Gary L. Scott
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Jack Rudd
[not found] ` <3442B745.5352@lmco.com>
1997-10-15 0:00 ` Gary L. Scott
1997-10-16 0:00 ` James Giles
1997-10-16 0:00 ` Andrew Haley
1997-10-13 0:00 ` David Ness
1997-10-14 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-10-14 0:00 ` Jan Karman
1997-10-15 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-15 0:00 ` D'Arcy J.M. Cain
1997-10-15 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-10-15 0:00 ` Mark Stephen
1997-10-17 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-10-16 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-16 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-10-17 0:00 ` Jerry van Dijk
1997-10-16 0:00 ` John Sullivan
1997-10-17 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-17 0:00 ` John Sullivan
1997-10-17 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-10-17 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-10-20 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-20 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-10-20 0:00 ` Kaz
1997-10-21 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-23 0:00 ` Ada Readability (Re: Programming language vote - results) Ray Blaak
1997-10-21 0:00 ` Programming language vote - results Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-20 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-10-21 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-21 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-10-22 0:00 ` Don Guinn
[not found] ` <01bce1bf$5c2baaa0$95b66bcf@dkelly.ark.com>
1997-10-29 0:00 ` Don Guinn
1997-10-29 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
1997-10-31 0:00 ` Documenting Code (was:Programming language vote - results) Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-30 0:00 ` Charles Lin
1997-10-30 0:00 ` James L. Ryan
1997-10-31 0:00 ` Robert Bernecky
1997-10-31 0:00 ` Robert Bernecky
1997-11-01 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-11-01 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-11-03 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-10-29 0:00 ` Programming language vote - results FRS DES
1997-10-29 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-10-25 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-26 0:00 ` functionality of Java (was Re: Programming language vote - results) Randy MacDonald
1997-10-23 0:00 ` Programming language vote - results Jack Rudd
1997-10-25 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-25 0:00 ` Kaz
1997-10-26 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-10-27 0:00 ` Robert Bernecky
1997-10-27 0:00 ` APL argument W. Wesley Groleau x4923
1997-10-28 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
1997-10-28 0:00 ` Programming language vote - results Jan Karman
1997-10-28 0:00 ` Robert Bernecky
1997-10-28 0:00 ` James L. Ryan
1997-10-29 0:00 ` Robert Bernecky
[not found] ` <bosworth-2910972044300001@access59.accsyst.com>
1997-10-30 0:00 ` Robert Bernecky
1997-10-30 0:00 ` James L. Ryan
1997-10-31 0:00 ` Robert Bernecky
1997-10-31 0:00 ` James L. Ryan
1997-10-29 0:00 ` Jack Rudd
1997-10-25 0:00 ` Peter Seebach
1997-11-18 0:00 ` Ingemar Ragnemalm
1997-11-18 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Martin M Dowie
1997-11-25 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Peter Seebach
1997-12-02 0:00 ` ANDREAS LEITNER
1997-12-02 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-12-03 0:00 ` Billy Chambless
1997-12-03 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-02 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-12-05 0:00 ` John Sullivan
1997-11-25 0:00 ` Mark Wilden
1997-11-25 0:00 ` Martin M Dowie
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-11-26 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-11-18 0:00 ` Kevin Swan
1997-11-29 0:00 ` Ingemar Ragnemalm
1998-09-10 0:00 ` Steven Katz
1997-11-18 0:00 ` firewind
1997-11-18 0:00 ` Larry Elmore
1997-11-20 0:00 ` firewind
1997-11-18 0:00 ` Kevin Swan
1997-11-19 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-11-19 0:00 ` Mike Smith
1997-11-19 0:00 ` Matt
1997-11-20 0:00 ` firewind
[not found] ` <3474C71B.536B12F6@cgocable.net>
1997-11-21 0:00 ` CVigue
1997-11-23 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-11-24 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-11-20 0:00 ` Terry Richards
1997-11-20 0:00 ` Andy Knight
1997-11-23 0:00 ` Alex Krol
1997-11-25 0:00 ` William Tanksley
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Ron Natalie
1997-11-27 0:00 ` William Tanksley
1997-11-27 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
[not found] ` <65keij$mkd$1@nerd.apk.net>
1997-11-27 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-11-28 0:00 ` Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
1997-12-01 0:00 ` FRS DES
1997-11-20 0:00 ` Andy Knight
1997-11-20 0:00 ` firewind
1997-11-20 0:00 ` Coding for Obscurity Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-11-20 0:00 ` firewind
1997-11-20 0:00 ` Jos A. Horsmeier
1997-11-20 0:00 ` Stephan Wilms [this message]
1997-11-21 0:00 ` Jos A. Horsmeier
1997-11-23 0:00 ` Alex Krol
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Jim Johnson
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Mark Wilden
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Robert S. White
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Leon Jones
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Lawrence Kirby
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Ron Natalie
1997-11-27 0:00 ` Joerg Rodemann
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Mark Wilden
1997-11-26 0:00 ` Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
1997-12-01 0:00 ` ISONE
1997-12-01 0:00 ` ISONE
1997-11-27 0:00 ` Richard A. O'Keefe
1997-11-23 0:00 ` Al Christians
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Richard A. O'Keefe
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Samuel T. Harris
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-11-25 0:00 ` Samuel T. Harris
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Matt
1997-11-24 0:00 ` Ed Falis
1997-11-19 0:00 ` Programming language vote - results Peter Seebach
1997-11-19 0:00 ` Alan E & Carmel J Brain
1997-10-16 0:00 ` Randy MacDonald
[not found] ` <01bcdad2$fa9fdf60$25a43a91@basil.omroep.nl>
1997-10-17 0:00 ` D'Arcy J.M. Cain
1997-10-17 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-10-14 0:00 ` Gary L. Scott
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Robert S. White
1997-10-13 0:00 ` Gary L. Scott
1997-10-19 0:00 ` William Rapp
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