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From: g-frank@gumby.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: SIZEOF
Message-ID: <260@gumby.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Jan-85 08:24:45 EST
Article-I.D.: gumby.260
Posted: Mon Jan 28 08:24:45 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Jan-85 05:22:45 EST
References: <347@ecr.UUCP> <393@rlgvax.UUCP>
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 31

> Anyone who has made much effort at porting C code has encountered lots of
> problems, all too many of which are due to people misusing the language.
> Many of those can be avoided by using "lint".  Go forth and do so.
> 

   The whole point of languages where the compiler does strong type checking
is that no one gets to misuse the language, at least without making a conscious
effort to do so.  As long as it is easier to avoid a cast than to use one,
and the compiler doesn't complain, lazy or rushed or habit-bound programmers
will do so.

   With regard to lint:

   1) Most people working in a Unix environment never use it, because they
      don't have to.

   2) I have been desperately searching for an implementation for my own
      programming environment (PC-DOS and QNX on the IBM PC), thus far
      without any luck.  It just doesn't seem to be very available in any
      but orthodox Unix systems.  This should say something about the great
      esteem in which the C programming community holds lint.

   Human nature being what it is, "go forth and use lint" should get approx-
imately the same enthusiastic response as "go forth and sin no more."



-- 
      Dan Frank

	"good news is just life's way of keeping you off balance."