From: "ara.t.howard" <ara.t.howard@...>
Date: 2007-09-22T01:12:48+09:00
Subject: Re: how can I remove all the comments in my c program.


On Sep 21, 2007, at 8:10 AM, On Web wrote:

>
> I was referring to the GPL comment dodge.
>
> Still, stripping comments in a compiled language seems a bizarre  
> idea to me,
> apart from deliberately making it more difficullt for others to  
> follow, or
> to hide the origin of the code.
>
> The OP has stated in another post that the intention (if I  
> understand the
> post correctly) is to neaten the code and to allow alignment of the  
> program
> lines.
>
> Most companies would slap my wrists if I deliberately removed  
> comments from
> a source file and as for alignment, try and do it as you go along,  
> or at
> least try and not have huges source files so it's not too difficullt a
> proposition.

people need to step back and realize that this is a religious issue  
not really related to ruby itself.

i happen to think comments are a crutch in in any language.  here is  
an excerpt from the last program i wrote:



#! /dmsp/reference/bin/ruby

require 'time'
require 'ostruct'
require 'alib'
require 'lockfile'
require 'dmsp'
require 'nrtlib'
require 'stpjob'

Main {

   synopsis "gen_night_file_from_dawn_dusk_orbit_pairs [options]+  
descending_olspath [ascending_olspath]"

   default "destination" => "/dmsp/nrt/data/incoming/ 
night_files_dawn_dusk"
   default "window"      => (42.minutes .. 62.minutes)

   option "--link"                    , "-l" ,
     "link files to operate on - default(copy)"

   option "--destination=destination" , "-d" ,
     "specify output destination - default(#{ default 'destination' })"

   option "--clobber"                 , "-c" ,
     "force output to be clobbered iff it exists - default(false)"

   option "--window=window" ,           "-w" ,
     "specify time window in which to look for ascending mate -  
default(#{ default('window').to_a.join ',' }s)"

   option "--turd"                    , "-t" ,
     "leave your things lying around default(false)"

   argument          "descending_olspath"

   optional_argument "ascending_olspath"


   def main
     setup

     tmpdir do |tmp|
       atomically_download_input
       generate_night_files
       atomically_upload_output
       exit! 42 if turd?
     end

     exit 0
   end

   ...
   ...
   ...


i do not think comment can add any clarity to code that's written  
like this and, yes, you can do the same in C.  that being said i'm  
(literally) on crutches now and everyone needs them sometimes - they  
are not evil - just crutches.  compilers are crutches for not being  
able to write assembly code quickly enough.

regards.

a @ http://drawohara.com/
--
we can deny everything, except that we have the possibility of being  
better. simply reflect on that.
h.h. the 14th dalai lama