Re: [PATCH] update checkpatch.pl to version 0.08

Adrian Bunk
2007-07-24T19:59:57Z

On Tue, Jul 24, 2007 at 01:45:25PM -0500, jschopp wrote:
> <snip>
> > checkpatch has been quite useful
>> for catching obviously broken things, and now it seems like it's just
>> overreaching. Perhaps this functionality can be split in to a lite
>> checkpatch for catching show-stoppers for application and then something
>> more akin to a CodingStyle validator for the folks interested in
>> arbitrarily defining convention, which they can use freely while the rest
>> of us try to get something useful done.
>
> CodingStyle isn't about arbitrarily defining convention. It is about
> making the codebase consistent, which helps a ton in readability and
> maintainability.
>
> Readability is important because it makes the job of the maintainers
> easier. If you or I have to spend 5 minutes to fix trivial CodingStyle
> issues, but that 5 minutes saves Andrew or other maintainers 60 seconds in
> reviewing your patch, we come out ahead. Anything that shifts work from
> maintainers to developers is a good thing because maintainers are
> overworked as is.
>
> It could also argue that declaring multiple variables per line or putting
> curly braces where they aren't needed doesn't make code unmaintainable.
> I'd agree any one of these doesn't make code unmaintainable by itself. But
> if all these things are added together it is death by 1000 cuts. The more
> readable code is the fewer real bugs it will have because badness stands
> out more in clean code.
>
> So, no we shouldn't separate out CodingStyle because
>
> Better CodingStyle == less bugs
>
> and
>
> Better CodingStyle == more throughput for maintainers

To some extent yes.

But extreme codingstyling won't gain you anything.

Except for long and fruitless discussions.

If a tool says anything would be wrong with the line of C code
int i, j;
for two loop variables, then the tool is wrong because that's an idiom
every C programmer knows and understands.

cu
Adrian

--

"Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed