Re: style change: explicitly permit braces for single statements

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

> Personally I don't think there's any good excuse for not always
> putting braces around all single-statement blocks.

Well, you may not think it good, but I prefer

	if (x < 0) return(n);

to

	if (x < 0) { return(n); }

.  I find the braces pure visual clutter in the latter.

I also prefer

	if (compute_length(end1->vtx->pt,end2->vtx->pt) < delta)
	   return(scale(normal,size));

to

	if (compute_length(end1->vtx->pt,end2->vtx->pt) < delta)
	 { return(scale(normal,size));
	 }

because of the vertical space saved, but I usually actually write the
latter because of software limitations - figuring out how much to
indent the second line is complicated, requiring something like a
codewalker to tell whether the second line is the consequent of the if
or a continuation of the condition.  (And I prefer either of them over

	if (compute_length(end1->vtx->pt,end2->vtx->pt) < delta) {
	   return(scale(normal,size));
	}

but that's a holy war for another day.)

Ultimately, it comes down to: I prefer readbility - which is mostly an
aesthetic judgement - over strict conformance to rules.  I consider
such `rules' as being there to serve, not to constrain; I think
"recommendations" would be a better word.  I've yet to see a style
"rule" - my own or anyone else's - that doesn't impair readability at
least occasionally.

> [I]n my opinion C is just not really safe without [the braces].

Is C *ever* safe?  (Safe from what?)

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