Re: Should internet support software be written in Ada?

[Theodore Dennison <dennison@escmail.orl.mmc.com>]

David Weller <dweller@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM>
> In article <3kaksj$iur@isnews.calpoly.edu>,
> Bill Brooks <wbrooks@hertz.elee.calpoly.edu> wrote:
> >    while(!(getline(input,MAXLINE,fp))) {
> >        char confname[MAXLINE];
> >        if((input[0] == '#') || (!input[0]))
> >            continue;
> >        for(i=0;isname(input[i]) && (input[i] != ':');i++)
> >            confname[i] = input[i];
> >        confname[i] = '\0';
> >        if(!strcmp(confname,mapname))
> >            goto found;
> >     }
> >In the rich tradition of discussing good software engineering practices in
> >c.l.a(regardless of language) I'll ask: is this good coding style?
> >Keep in mind that this code was written under the auspices of one of
> >the top 5 schools in CS in the United States.
> At the risk of exposing myself as some sort of heretic, the above
> code example looks perfectly "normal" to me.  That's one of the nasty
> little problems about C, it makes "dense" code "normal".  Some may


I think the problem he has with this (at least the problem I have with it)
is not that it dense, or even that it is C. It think the problem is the 
"goto" statements. (At least, that's my problem with it).

Now, I too have seen some bad C code in my time. But this is the first I have
EVER seen anyone actually use a "goto". In a language with a good selection of
looping constructs like C, there is NO excuse for this. (Well, perhaps 
stupidity...)

There, That ought to get the flames going!




T.E.D.