meaning of continue (WAS: Some interesting novice questions [...

[Steve Summit]

In article <6ecTR1w161w at phoenix.com> stanley at phoenix.com (John Stanley)
climbs up even higher onto his soapbox and rails against
misleading anthropomorphization, computer illiteracy, and the
general decline of Western society.  (In fact, I don't disagree
with anything he said, but feel that, in the current context, it
is quite misdirected.)

May I remind the participants in this increasingly vitriolic and
picky debate that it was spawned by Rahul Dhesi's musings on the
stylistic appropriateness of a particular empty loop body?  I
very seriously doubt that Rahul, or anybody else here, has any
misunderstandings about what

	while(*p++ != '\0')
		continue;

does (i.e. means to the compiler).  At issue was merely what it
might mean to the casual, human reader, and whether

        while(*p++ != '\0')       or       while(*p++ != '\0')
                ;                                  {}

might be clearer.  (Not "more correct," just clearer.)  As we
should all know by now, these discussions on program layout
(which frequently masquerade under the subject "style," which is
unfortunate, because programming style is far more important than
mere layout) frequently turn into religious battles.  Shall we
discuss brace placement for a while :-) ?  (Footnote for the
terminally clueless: the :-) means that I am being sarcastic here
and shall be very upset if someone responds to this suggestion.)

                                            Steve Summit
                                            scs at adam.mit.edu