From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 11390f,4c42ac518eba0bbe X-Google-Attributes: gid11390f,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,4c42ac518eba0bbe X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,4c42ac518eba0bbe X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,4c42ac518eba0bbe X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public From: seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) Subject: Re: Programming language vote - results Date: 1997/11/19 Message-ID: <64tdoa$fur$5@darla.visi.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 290575909 References: <343fbb5a.0@news.iprolink.ch> <344BCED0.2D51@dynamite.com.au> <62tpap$7gh$1@darla.visi.com> <3470EF6E.F74@lysator.liu.se> Organization: Plethora Internet NNTP-Posting-Date: 18 Nov 1997 19:00:58 CST Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.apl,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++ Date: 1997-11-18T19:00:58-06:00 List-Id: In article <3470EF6E.F74@lysator.liu.se>, Ingemar Ragnemalm wrote: >Simple example from real life: >if (call_this() || call_that()); UGH! >Valid, yes. Better than >if (!call_this()) call_that(); >or more clear forms in other languages? >Some people actually think so. I have a hard time believing that. I will argue that call_this() || call_that(); is clear to sh and perl programmers. The redundant if() is just plain stupid, though - happily granted. Perhaps it devolved from an original doing something like if (call_this() || call_that()) do_something(); in which case, it would (arguably) make sense, and be perfectly idiomatic, just as it's idiomatic, though not the most simple, to say If you're going to the store, or you have a free moment, could you get me some orange juice? (Of course, in this case, if you stop wanting orange juice, you remove the entire statement.) Simplicity is not always the best mechanism for clarity. Anyone who thinks otherwise is entitled to try to read children's books for comprehension - it's very tiring, and in the end, *hard*, to read a lot of little tiny sentences. -s -- seebs@plethora.net -- I am not speaking for my employer. Copyright '97 All rights reserved. This was not sent by my cat. C and Unix wizard - send mail for help, or send money for a consultation. Visit my new ISP --- More Net, Less Spam! Plethora . Net