Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH 0/3] Fix broken if statements

[Andreas Färber]

Am 22.07.2010 um 18:18 schrieb Stefan Weil:

> Am 21.07.2010 22:05, schrieb Joel Schopp:
> > I have decided to apply the broken window theory of crime
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory to code, and
> > more specifically to qemu[:]

> > I'm hoping that fixing seemingly trivial
> > bugs will actually fix some more serious bugs, make the code run
> > just a bit smoother, or at the very least leave us with easier to
> > maintain code.

> > Joel Schopp (3):
> > remove dead code from hw/loader.c
> > fix variable type in qemu-io.c
> > remove pointless if from vl.c
[...]
> How did you apply the broken window theory of crime to software code?
> Is this still a secret, or can you tell us more?

If you consider Coding Style and Best Practice violations a crime  
(vandalism / broken window), then e.g. removing dead code is to  
prevent future code dead-on-arrival and - as criminal escalation - bugs.

Applying it further might mean that someone could provide a patch  
either adding or removing braces for all single line statements in the  
code base so that the broken window argument (someone broke the rule  
so I can, too) no longer holds for new patches arriving. :)

Regards,
Andreas