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From: gwyn%brl-vld@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re:  typedefs, etc.
Message-ID: <15105@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Jan-84 14:32:13 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.15105
Posted: Tue Jan  3 14:32:13 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Jan-84 02:24:06 EST
Lines: 23

From:      Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn@brl-vld>

I think one's programming style is improved if he carefully maintains
the distinction between boolean data and integer data, even though the
C language does not.  Examples:

	if ( p != NULL )
		fputs( p, stdout );
rather than
	if ( p )
		fputs( p, stdout );

	while ( *p != '\0' )
		putchar( *p++ );
rather than
	while ( *p )
		putchar( *p++ );

Although the above alternatives lead to identical machine code and are
not obviously superior taken out of context, they say precisely what is
intended without requiring the reader to remember C-specific language
peculiarities.  I find that careful attention to data typing, of which
boolean-vs-integer is a small part, contributes to error-free coding.