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From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Writing readable code
Message-ID: <7267@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 30-Jun-87 18:29:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: mimsy.7267
Posted: Tue Jun 30 18:29:44 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Jul-87 06:51:44 EDT
References: <1158@copper.TEK.COM> <6858@auspyr.UUCP> <17171@cca.CCA.COM> <10509@sri-spam.istc.sri.com>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 16

In article <13008@topaz.rutgers.edu> ron@topaz.rutgers.edu (Ron
Natalie) says he hates code that:
>[compares] error returns from UNIX syscalls to be less than zero.
>UNIX system calls that return ints, are usually defined to return
>-1 on error.  It drives me crazy to see code test for less than
>zero.  It doesn't say returns negative value on error, it says -1.

% man 2 open
     ...
     Upon successful completion a non-negative integer termed a
     file descriptor is returned. ...

This is from the 4.3BSD manuals.
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	seismo!mimsy!chris