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I read programming pearls about halfway until I discovered that a several of the samples were using gets() and could be trivially exploited for buffer overflows

by nn2 15y ago

I read programming pearls about halfway until I discovered that a several of the samples were using gets() and could be trivially exploited for buffer overflows. Calling programs like that "pearls" just seemed too wrong to me to go on.

edwinnathaniel 15y ago
As to my understanding, Programming Pearls focused lies between the range of elegant code and algorithms/problem solving as opposed to secured coding practice in the C programming language.
- lwat 15y ago
  Still, someone like Knuth will argue that correctness should not be sacrificed for elegance.
  - edwinnathaniel 15y ago
    Feel free to crucify John Bentley. I know I'll learn more out of the book if I don't care of the small nitpicks like "gets()".
sanxiyn 15y ago
IIRC the book actually has a section where the author explains why he uses gets(), short variable names, etc.