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From: spg@alpha.sunquest.com (Steve Gibbons)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: MEL - A *Real* Programmer
Keywords: Real Programmer, Hacker
Message-ID: <9423@sunquest.UUCP>
Date: 25 Oct 90 05:41:55 GMT
References: <7380.271c3129@ccvax.ucd.ie> <1990Oct23.235720.16178@nas.nasa.gov> <6089@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu> <54296@brunix.UUCP>
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In article <54296@brunix.UUCP>, cgy@cs.brown.edu (Curtis Yarvin) writes...
>In article <6089@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu> smsmith@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith) writes:
>Right - but you have to make the distinction between _cryptic_ code and
>_obfuscated_ code.

An example is interpreted code on limited memory systems where variable names,
function names and program tags all take space in the programs partition.  
These are generally the first elements to be obfuscated (such that one winds 
up with variable names like x1,x2,x3; and program tags like a1,a2,a3.

..And heaven forbid that you should be in the situation that I am in where
the overhead for function calls is so severe that one winds up using global 
variables on a regular basis

>  Cryptic code is hard to understand because it gets the
>job done very well, but needs to carry out arcane manipulations to do it.
>Obfuscated code intentionally makes a simple task complex.  

There is also the case of indirection and self-modifying/interpreted at 
runtime code.  in some environmetnts the benefits of obfuscation far 
outweigh those of the straight-forward "code for all cases" approach...

Take a look at the capabilities/drawbacks to MUMPS...  (one of a handfull
of ANSI standard lingos) and then tell me more...

 ____________________________________________________________________________
| Steve Gibbons, H.I.S. Interfacing | 602/885-7700x2649 or 602/296-8936(Fax) |
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|   Tucson, Arizona   85710-1343    | "*I* didn't do it... ;-)"   -Me        |
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P.S. obfuscated/obscure code should be no excuse for REQUIRING two weeks to 
debug a piece of code...  it was mismanaged, to begin with...  :)