I'd have to argue the function typedefs are not useless, I've come across two uses. The obvious one is rather than a function pointer typedef, such the subsequ

I'd have to argue the function typedefs are not useless, I've come across two uses. The obvious one is rather than a function pointer typedef, such the subsequent use in a struct is obviously a pointer. Which helps when others are initially reading unfamiliar structures. typedef int handler_ty(int a); struct foo { handler_ty *handler; /* ... */ } struct foo table[] = { { /* init fields */, /* init fields */, }; The other case can be somewhat related, namely as an assertion / check when writing such handler functions, and more importantly updating them. handler_ty some_handler; int some_handler(int a) { /* ... */ } When updating code, it allowed for easier to decode compiler errors if the expected type of handler_ty was changed, and some specific handler was incorrectly updated, or not updated at all. Basically the error would generally directly call out the inconsistency with the prior line, rather than with the distanct use in the initialisation of 'table'. As I recall this mechanism has been around since at least C89, I don't recall using it in K&R.