Combined APM patch
Quoted 10 lines
Just browsing the diff between my patch and Stephen's, I have a couple of questions.
< static int
suspends_pending; /* = 0 */
---Quoted 1 line
static int
suspends_pending;Is it not good practice to note when the code _assumes_ zero- initialization? I have seen comments like these elsewhere in the kernel sources.
Comments should _not_ echo code. One should assumes that the reader knows the language. Instead, comments should explain _what the purpose_ of that line of code or section of code is if it is not obvious to those that the comments are written to.
Thus, the following should be considered correct:
static int suspends_pending;
Both of the following lines have superfluous code or commants and should be avoided:
static int suspends_pending; /* = 0 */
static int suspends_pending = 0;
Likewise, parentheses where none are needed just get in the way of useful stuff and slows down understanding the program. Some parentheses in complex expressions or when the precedence of operator evaluation is confusing, such as bitwise ops can be helpful.
Btw, I have been writing system-level c code for 26 years and learned by reading and modifying Unix system code at Berkeley.
Best regards,
Bob Toxen, CTO
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