C Traps and Pitfalls
Encyclopedia
C Traps and Pitfalls is a slim computer programming
book by former AT&T
researcher and programmer Andrew Koenig
, its first edition still in print in 2005, which outlines the many ways in which beginners and even sometimes quite experienced C programmers
can write poor, malfunctioning and dangerous source code
.
It evolved from an earlier technical report, by the same name, published internally at Bell Labs
. This, in turn was inspired by a prior paper given by Koenig on "PL/I Traps and Pitfalls" at a SHARE
conference in 1977. Koenig wrote that this title was inspired by a 1968 science fiction anthology by Robert Sheckley
, "The People Trap and other Pitfalls, Snares, Devices and Delusions, as Well as Two Sniggles and a Contrivance"
.
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
book by former AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
researcher and programmer Andrew Koenig
Andrew Koenig (programmer)
Andrew R. Koenig is a former AT&T and Bell Labs researcher and programmer. He is the author of C Traps and Pitfalls, co-author of Accelerated C++ & Ruminations on C++, and his name is associated with argument-dependent name lookup, also known as "Koenig lookup"...
, its first edition still in print in 2005, which outlines the many ways in which beginners and even sometimes quite experienced C programmers
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
can write poor, malfunctioning and dangerous source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
.
It evolved from an earlier technical report, by the same name, published internally at Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
. This, in turn was inspired by a prior paper given by Koenig on "PL/I Traps and Pitfalls" at a SHARE
SHARE (computing)
SHARE Inc. is a volunteer-run user group for IBM mainframe computers that was founded in 1955 by Los Angeles-area IBM 701 users. It evolved into a forum for exchanging technical information about programming languages, operating systems, database systems, and user experiences for enterprise users...
conference in 1977. Koenig wrote that this title was inspired by a 1968 science fiction anthology by Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...
, "The People Trap and other Pitfalls, Snares, Devices and Delusions, as Well as Two Sniggles and a Contrivance"
The People Trap
The People Trap is a collection of science fiction short stories by Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1968 by Dell...
.