[lug] C code quality tools

[Evelyn Mitchell]

* On 2002-04-19 19:23 Chris Riddoch <socket at peakpeak.com> wrote:
> Hi, everyone.
> 
> Anybody else have recommendations on tools, compilers, or libraries
> that make the C programmer's life-o-debugging easier?

In general, having a clear understanding of what you're trying to do before
you start coding is the single most important factor in software quality.
All these resources address that. The first item is the best book on
software construction written in several years.

_The Pragmatic Programmer_ by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
  Addison-Wesley October 1999
  http://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/
  http://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/ppbook/extracts/rule_list.html

If you know what you need to do, you can make your software tell you
when you've done it, and tell you when it doesn't do it any more. Unit
tests are a good thing.
Test first programming:
  http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?CodeUnitTestFirst
  http://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/articles/stqe-01-2002.pdf

Planning doesn't have to be complicated or difficult.
Extreme Planning
  http://www.c2.comj/cgi/wiki?ExtremePlanning
  http://xplanner.sourceforge.net

If you're writing code for reuse, design by contract can make your
libraries more robust.
Design by Contract:
  http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?DesignByContract

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Evelyn Mitchell             Linux Consulting since 1995
efm at tummy.com               Senior System and Network Administrators
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