On Thu, Jan 29, 2026 at 01:53:08AM +0100, Vincent Lefevre wrote:
> > GNU is an abomination,
>
> I disagree.
Here's what Google Gemini says about it:
The GNU Coding Standards, which emphasize a very specific,
traditional formatting style (e.g., placing braces on new lines,
specific indentation patterns, space before opening parentheses),
are frequently criticized for poor readability and being outdated.
Based on developer discussions and historical context, here is
a summary of the criticisms and defenses regarding the GNU Coding
Standards:
Arguments Against GNU Coding Standards (The "Garbage" Perspective)
- Poor Readability: Many developers find the style, particularly
the indentation and brace placement, makes code hard to read.
- Too Many Rules: Critics argue the standards are overly
prescriptive regarding formatting, which is considered a minor
issue compared to actual program logic.
- Outdated/Too Verbose: The standards can lead to excessive
vertical space, making it difficult to read large chunks of
code on one screen.
- "Burn Them": Famously, the Linux kernel coding style guide,
often considered the antithesis of the GNU style, suggests
printing out the GNU coding standards to "burn them" as a
symbolic gesture.
- Unnecessary Complexity: The standards are seen by some as
encouraging overly complicated C code, often described as
"messy" or "unreadable" by critics.
Like I said, outside of GNU projects, or if you happen to work with
MIT grads, this shit is pretty unpopular. In fact, I work at a
company in Cambridge, founded by MIT grads, and most of them don't
like it either. I personally know exactly one guy who does, but even
he skips the silly paren alignment.
Oh, and FWIW, it did spit out arguments in favor of GNU, but they all
either had nothing to do with coding style or were not unique to GNU,
so I didn't bother copying them.
--
Derek D. Martin http://www.pizzashack.org/ GPG Key ID: 0xDFBEAD02
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