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From: pep@down.FUN
Newsgroups: net.unix
Subject: Re: Kernighan and Pike's book:  a flame
Message-ID: <1900003@down.FUN>
Date: Wed, 11-Jul-84 22:59:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: down.1900003
Posted: Wed Jul 11 22:59:00 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Jul-84 04:59:30 EDT
References: <-438000@hpfcla.UUCP>
Organization: The Official Fun Machine of Princeton University EECS
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Nf-ID: #R:hpfcla:43800011:down:1900003:000:1102
Nf-From: down!pep    Jul 11 22:59:00 1984

If 90% of the book's readers can improve the authors' coding style,
then (sadly) the book has reached the wrong audience.

But, I'm confused.  Why include comments in the sample programs when the
surrounding text explicates the code?!  I'm sure the authors didn't intend for
readers to skip the English text, reading nothing but the examples (what, no
pictures?  not a single flow chart!).  On the other hand, I have yet to see a
complex program so well-commented that it couldn't have been better explained
in an accompanying text.

Did we read the same book?  My copy shows variables declared and commented one
per line (e.g., see p. 262).  Umm, maybe they don't conform to the IHSS (I
wouldn't know, I haven't seen it).  I understood the examples as presented,
so I'm sure I don't care.  Of course, you *did* say this was a flame, so you
needn't cite any specific examples or evidence in support of your rantings.

I bought a copy of "The UNIX Programming Environment", not "The Elements of
Programming Style", and certainly not a soapbox.

					Pat Parseghian
					Princeton University, EECS Dept.