> (2) In functions, variables are often declared together in one
> paragraph, and then, later, initialized in another paragraph, as in:
>
> int i;
> char *s;
>
> /* stuff */
>
> i = 0;
> s = nil;
>
> rather than something like:
>
> int i = 0;
> char *s = nil;
this (the former method) is good practice since mingling declaration and
initialization can lead to big copypasta errors if^w when the
code is reorganized.
> (3) Lots of global variables are used, without any distinguishing
> syntax, i.e. "char *f". I prefer to designate global variables with
> something like a leading underscore, i.e. "char *_filename".
i think the plan 9 convention is to keep few enough globals
so than one can be expected to remember them.
> (4) In ARGBEGIN/ARGEND blocks, boolean switches are often set using the
> "++" operator rather than "|= 1", i.e.:
this is trivia. (and i'd argue that generally both are wrong;
it's not a bit array, and the count is not important.)
> (5) P9 code tends to repeat constructs such as "argv[i]" over and over
> throughout the code, like:
>
> for(i = 0; i < argc; i++){
> somestuff(argv[i]);
> otherstuff(argv[i]);
> }
>
> whereas I would typically use something like:
>
> int argnum;
> char *argstr;
this is a variant of hungarian notation. what value
does it add? the declarations are clear enough. everyone
knows what argv/argc are.
i've fallen into most of these traps myself. i used to declare
main as main(int c, char **v). what i found was fitting in
and understanding the whys of the local conventions is much
more important than whatever quirks you have yourself.
- erik
