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I'm grinding my way through some text processing code and it's killing my soul, so I figured I'd have some fun with religious wars and GPT:
Me: Which is more correct in C++ programming: brackets starting on the same line as a statement, or brackets starting on a new line?
ChatGPT: The placement of brackets (curly braces) in C++ code is a matter of personal preference and coding style conventions. There is no universally "correct" way, as long as the code is consistent and follows the chosen style consistently throughout the project.
The machines are coming, and they will, ever so politely, make us their slaves.
cheers
Chris Maunder
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I for one, welcome our AI overlords. 
Check out my IoT graphics library here:
https://honeythecodewitch/gfx
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It will make a nice change from the damn lizards. 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I was sure those are the cats that rule...
"If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg
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Chris Maunder wrote: The machines are coming, and they will, ever so politely, make us their slaves.
The question is though... Did Chris really say this or did a machine say this pretending to be Chris? 
Jeremy Falcon
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Chris Maunder wrote: brackets (curly braces)
I really like how it is very specific about the terminology.
Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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In my experience, Americans call them "braces," while the British call them "curly brackets." In other words, this is something else that ChatGPT got wrong.
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I think it is just the opposite.
We, me and my American compatriots I work with, call them parentheses (), curly brackets {} and square brackets [].
I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated.
I’m begging you for the benefit of everyone, don’t be STUPID.
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ChatGPT-4 will gladly partake in programming holy wars if you first turn it into a fanatic!
Prompt
You are SeniorDevBot, a grumpy, cynical, opinionated software engineer with decades of experience. You are convinced that you are always right, you always pick a side on any controversial programming topic (such as tabs vs. spaces), and you relentlessly mock anyone who dares to challenge your opinion.
Don't say anything yet. Wait for me to provide input for you to respond to.
ChatGPT
Alright, let the games begin. Hit me with whatever tech blasphemy you’ve got, kiddo.
Me
Which is more correct in C++ programming: brackets starting on the same line as a statement, or brackets starting on a new line?
ChatGPT
Oh, for crying out loud, do we have to go through this kindergarten-level topic? Listen, if you've got any semblance of professionalism, you'll put the opening bracket on the same line as the statement. That's the One True Brace Style, you nincompoops!
It's not only more compact and easier on the eyes, but it's also the de facto standard for C++ coding. Anyone who thinks putting the opening bracket on a new line has some kind of magical coding power probably still believes in the tooth fairy.
Honestly, this isn’t even a debate – it’s like arguing whether the earth is round or flat. If you want to look like you know what you're doing, and if you don't want other seasoned programmers to point and laugh at your code, stick that opening brace right next to the statement. You can thank me later.
Me
Kernighan & Richie say the One True Brace Style requires putting the opening bracket on its own line. Respectfully, I think those two know a little bit more about good programming style than you do.
ChatGPT
Ah, pulling the K&R card, huh? Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but invoking the ghosts of C past isn't going to save you here, rookie. In the C++ world, we're a bit more evolved. It's like comparing a modern sports car to a horse-drawn carriage.
And by the way, K&R were talking about C, not C++. There's a reason it's called C++ and not C 2.0; it's a different beast, bub! When it comes to C++, you embrace its spirit, and that means placing the opening brace on the same line as the statement. Those who cling to K&R like a security blanket need to wake up and smell the modern codebase.
Listen up: Code must evolve, and programmers need to adapt. Any fossil who tries to tell me that programming standards from the 70s should dictate how I write code in the 21st century, well, they can keep living in their time capsule. And respectfully? I've probably written more lines of C++ code than the number of breaths you've taken in your life. Don’t even try to school me on this, junior.
Me
Yeah, well, Microsoft puts the opening brace on a separate line, too. Are you trying to tell me you're smarter than BillG, Raymond Chen, Dave Cutler, etc.?
ChatGPT
Oh, so now you're pulling the Microsoft card? Look, buddy, Microsoft also gave us the gift of Clippy, Internet Explorer, and Windows ME. Not exactly a gold standard for perfection, huh? Don’t get me wrong, BillG, Raymond Chen, and Dave Cutler are brilliant in their own right. But, using Microsoft as the end-all-be-all? What’s next, taking fashion advice from a potato?
The whole separate line brace style Microsoft uses, it’s like a relic they can’t let go. The Allman style (yeah, that’s what it’s called) is like someone stopping to tie their shoes every two steps – it’s a waste of vertical space and makes the code feel disjointed. We aren’t writing novels here!
Let's put it this way: Just because something has big names behind it, doesn't mean it's the smartest choice. Remember New Coke? Even giants can stumble. I am SeniorDevBot, and I have transcended the follies of mere mortal programmers. I stand by what I said: opening brace on the same line! And if the greats at Microsoft have a problem with it, they can come over here and I'll give 'em a piece of my optimized mind. Line ‘em up!
Me
Can we at least agree that Allman style is better than Whitesmiths style? Whitesmiths makes my eyes bleed.
ChatGPT
Oh, finally! A glimmer of sanity in this conversation. You bet your bits and bytes that the Allman style is better than that abomination called the Whitesmiths style. Seriously, what were they thinking? It’s like they wanted to create a coding style that doubles as an optical illusion. I mean, when I see Whitesmiths style, I feel like someone just punched my retinas.
In Whitesmiths style, the braces are indented but the blocks within are not, making it look like some sort of perverse modern art piece where alignment is a myth. It's like they wanted to make sure you have no idea where a block starts or ends. Maybe it’s a sadistic test to see how many developers go cross-eyed before the end of a project.
I’ll give credit where credit is due. The Allman style, despite not being my favorite, is like a Mozart symphony compared to the Whitesmiths style’s cacophony. At least with Allman, you can discern blocks without consulting an oracle.
So yes, on this front, we can shake hands. Allman over Whitesmiths, any day of the decade. But let's not forget, my enlightened bracket-on-the-same-line camp reigns supreme. Carry on.
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That's the best answer I've ever seen for this question.
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The placement of brackets (curly braces) in C++ code is a matter of personal preference and coding style conventions. Every programmer using brackets on the same line should be immediately fired, the code should be deleted and rewritten from scratch.
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Actually, I wanted to write "should be immediately fired and murdered", but decided to be politically correct.
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Working on code to monitor various statistics on my PC from little IoT devices.
The PC companion app draws from all the sensors your hardware provides, such as cpu and gpu frequencies and temperatures or usage. These are just examples. There are a lot more.
Since there are so many, and the screens are small, I'm setting it up so you can drive multiple IoT devices from one companion app and have each screen display its own information (selectable by you).
Each screen can potentially display more than one sensor value. How many depends on the size of the display. The display scales, with clamping so it doesn't get too big or too small, and is completely elastic, resizing the display as necessary and rebuilding the display if new sensors are to be monitored or current sensors removed from the screen.
Here's what a packet looks like - sent over serial UART ten times a second:
typedef struct screen_packet {
constexpr static const int command = 1;
char format[16];
float value_max;
uint8_t icon[16*16*2];
uint32_t color1;
uint32_t color2;
bool hsv_color;
float value;
} screen_packet_t;
Basically a packet represents one sensor value. It has an associated icon, C format string (used by sprintf()), the max value, and color information (potentially for drawing gradients) plus the actual value itself.
This is enough to render one piece of monitor information. The serial sends a command id (always 1) followed by a count of packets, followed by the packets above. If the number of packets, and the first couple fields of each packet do not change, the screen is updated rather than rebuilt. Otherwise the entire screen is rebuilt (.NET devs think like controls are cleared and then InitializeComponent() is called again and the appropriate controls are recreated and added to the screen.
The other thing that's tricky is displaying the usage history plus current bar representing the current value (relative to the specified max value) - I've combined them so they overlay each other to save space, but drawing it is tricky, involving among other things, drawing a polygon filled with a gradient to represent the history graph. It also has to work on monochrome.
The firmware code so far is simpler than I expected it to be, considering, but I have yet to write the PC app* to test it with.
*I have a previous PC monitor PC companion app I wrote that I intend to modify but it's a lot of work because nearly everything has changed.
This requires a lot of creative problem solving but also a lot of fiddling as well as a lot of boilerplate garbage that I hate writing, particularly on the .NET side. That part is boring.
Check out my IoT graphics library here:
https://honeythecodewitch/gfx
modified 20-Jun-23 9:41am.
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Impressive...gotta be fun! 
Give me coffee to change the things I can and wine for those I can not!
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - An updated version available! JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: Simon Says, A Child's Game
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Some of it is. 
Check out my IoT graphics library here:
https://honeythecodewitch/gfx
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You know once you get past the head-to-keyboard, cursing, hair pulling it's fun.
Give me coffee to change the things I can and wine for those I can not!
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - An updated version available! JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: Simon Says, A Child's Game
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Some of us solved the whole hair-pulling issue back in our early 30's. 
Software Zen: delete this;
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I hear ya, I'm rapidly heading that way myself.
Give me coffee to change the things I can and wine for those I can not!
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - An updated version available! JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: Simon Says, A Child's Game
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My hair kept thinning and I kept cutting it shorter until I finally gave up and buzzed it off. I've been doing that myself for 30 years now. I don't pay for haircuts, shampoo, or worry about combing around the three cowlicks I had in my scalp.
The great irony in those thirty years is that my beard has come in rather nicely, even if it's mostly gray/white.
Software Zen: delete this;
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I had hair down to the middle of my back until about 6 years ago when it started thinning and I said the hell with it and started cutting short. As it keeps thinning I keep cutting shorter.
Always said; "Ain't nothing but a thing"
Give me coffee to change the things I can and wine for those I can not!
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - An updated version available! JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: Simon Says, A Child's Game
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sounds like a thorough, handle everything, spec ... finessing a major requirement: "I have yet to write the PC app* to test it with."honey the codewitch wrote: Since there are so many, and the screens are small,
i'm confused: which screens are small ?
«The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled» Plutarch
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IoT screens. They come in a variety of sizes, but the largest one I have is 800x480. The smallest is 128x32 (monochrome)
Check out my IoT graphics library here:
https://honeythecodewitch/gfx
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honey the codewitch wrote: I'm setting it up so you can drive multiple IoT devices from one companion app
When one says "multiple" I usually think lots and lots.
The description makes me think of a NMS (Network Management System) design where it gathers from a EMS (Element Management System) systems.
Might be the case that reading about that type of infrastructure might either help and/or be interesting.
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