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From: scs@adam.mit.edu (Steve Summit)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: lint (was: Funny mistake)
Message-ID: <1991Mar22.055335.23091@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 22 Mar 91 05:53:35 GMT
Article-I.D.: athena.1991Mar22.055335.23091
References: <13584@helios.TAMU.EDU>
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In article <13584@helios.TAMU.EDU> byron@archone.tamu.edu (Byron Rakitzis) writes:
>How many people remember to run lint on their code? How many do
>it at the last minute?

Well, I've got a number of peculiar habits, but I often make sure
code passes lint before even trying to compile it, when I've just
typed in a lot of code that I'm sure contains typos, unused
variables, missing arguments, etc.

It's unfortunately true that "classic" versions of lint tend to
require a bit of bondage and discipline to keep them quiet.
Nobody said programming was easy.  I wouldn't particularly mind it
if compilers tended to emit a few more "handholding" messages, as
long as it didn't make them bigger and buggier, but I certainly
don't mind running lint to catch mistakes that the compilers
shouldn't, can't, don't, or won't.

I don't understand why it takes anything to "remember" to run
lint on your code.  (If you can't run it, because your
lackadaisical vendor sold you half a compiler, that's another
story.)  How do you remember to look for bugs at all?

                                            Steve Summit
                                            scs@adam.mit.edu