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From: jls@netcom.COM (Jim Showalter)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: What does lint do?
Keywords: lint, parse, errors, debug
Message-ID: <1991May29.173713.7058@netcom.COM>
Date: 29 May 91 17:37:13 GMT
References: <91-05-108@comp.compilers>
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  UNIX System {408 241-9760 guest}
Lines: 22

What does lint do? Lint does all the stuff C compilers OUGHT to do, but
don't. Using this clever trickery, one hears of how "compact" and "efficient"
C compilers are (usually in comparison to something like an Ada compiler)...
but this is a completely bogus argument. I could write a really compact
and efficient Ada compiler too, if I didn't have to do any type checking,
bounds analysis, or much of anything else I've come to expect from a
software engineering language (actually, I COULDN'T, since Ada compilers
are validated, but you get the idea).

I remember back in another lifetime when I used to work for a UNIX shop
the justifications made for the C compiler not doing much checking: "We
can always run it through 'lint'.". Of course, they never DID run it
through lint, because they found that when they did it flagged all sorts
of errors, and this presented a major inconvenience to them. Much better
for the CUSTOMER to act in the role of lint, finding most errors in the
field. This made no sense at all to me at the time (and still doesn't)
but hey, what do I know?--I'm not a hacker.
-- 
**************** JIM SHOWALTER, jls@netcom.com, (408) 243-0630 ****************
*Proven solutions to software problems. Consulting and training on all aspects*
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