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The International Obfuscated C Code Contest

1990/westley - Best Layout

← theorem ↑ 1990 ↑ last entry C code Makefile Inventory





Author:

To build:

make all

To use:

./westley <number>

The number should be greater than 0.

Try:

./try.sh

Alternate code:

The alternate code is provided to show how C changed.

Alternate build:

If you have an old enough compiler try and to see how C has changed over the years:

make alt

Alternate use:

./westley.alt <number>

Judges’ remarks:

If you would rather “Daisy” someone other than Westley, rename the program as needed. :-)

Read each block of code as if it were a piece of correspondence. For example, the first block of code would read:

charlie,
    doubletime me, OXFACE!
    not interested, get out
    mainly die, charly, *die*
        signed charlotte

The original source had control-L’s after each code block. To make it easier on news readers, we converted each control-L to a blank line.

Author’s remarks:

This is a “Picking the Daisy” simulation. Now, instead of mangling a daisy, simply run this program with the number of petals desired as the argument.

This is a good counter-example to peoples’ complaints that C doesn’t have an “English-like” syntax.

Lint complains about everything - null effect, xxx may be used before set, statement not reached, return(e) and return. Lint dumps core on some systems. My personal favorite lint complaint is

“warning: eroticism unused in function main”.

Also obviously, (char)lotte and (char*)lie are incompatible types…

Inventory for 1990/westley

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