Re: [patch] checkpatch: putting the && or || on the wrong line

From: Martin Knoblauch
Date: Thu Jan 06 2011 - 06:56:05 EST


----- Original Message ----

> From: Krzysztof Halasa <khc@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: Joe Perches <joe@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Samuel Thibault <samuel.thibault@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; J. Bruce Fields
><bfields@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; Dan Carpenter <error27@xxxxxxxxx>; Andy Whitcroft
><apw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;
>kernel-janitors@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Wed, January 5, 2011 6:38:07 PM
> Subject: Re: [patch] checkpatch: putting the && or || on the wrong line
>
> Joe Perches <joe@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
>
> > As do I, but perhaps coding style in a project like this
> > shouldn't be personal but collective.
>
> I think there is nothing like a collective style.
> What you can eventually achieve is a style everybody hates.
>
> > The trailing style outnumbers the leading style ~ 5:1.
> >
> > $ grep -rP --include=*.[ch] "(\|\||&&)[ \t]*$" * | wc -l
> > 39890
> > $ grep -rP --include=*.[ch] "^[ \t]*(\|\||&&)" * | wc -l
> > 8244
> >
> > If you take out drivers/staging, trailing is used ~ 6:1.
> >
> > I think that high enough to be declared the preferred style.

Nobody defines which style *I* prefer. One (in this case the compiler) may
define which laws I obey, but not which style I like. As long as the compiler
accepts both notations and generates the same code there is no "law" against
either.

>
> This is a very weak reason (if any at all) to do so. Increasing e.g.

indeed.

> readability of the code would be a good reason, but statistics?
>

But who is defining readability? That is not a technical term at all. What I
view as readable may completely from your or Joes or anybody elses opinion.

> Maybe: Microsoft Windows outnumbers Linux X:1, so it should be declared
> the "preferred" system (= the only allowed, as with CodingStyle and
> checkpatch "errors").
>
> Or: cars outnumber trucks X:1, declare the trucks illegal.

I would really think about supporting that :-)

> Coffee drinkers outnumber tee drinkers, kill the later.
>

Here I am for personal freedom :-)

>
> Yes, we need some basic common style (tabs length, unless/until we can
> use any tab length), K&R (or other) parentheses, void *var instead of
> void* var (void* var1, var2 bugs), (no) spaces etc. Anything less make

Actually if this allows ambigous code, the language has a problem. But yeah, a
tool to enforce one way is good.

> the code unreadable or less readable. We should stop dictating the
> details when the benefits end, and they end pretty fast.

Amen.

Cheers
Martin

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