> Wrong, I already demonstrate that they have an example that is basically strcpy() and I show why it's broken.
strcpy() is not broken. You cannot expect a function to work if you violate its preconditions. Exercise for you: enumerate strcpy's preconditions. And once you know them, you design your program in accord with them.
> There's extensive attention to testing
Testing can only prove the presence of bugs, not their absence. Heavy emphasis on testing leads to coding by trial-and-error, which, I argue, is the prime source of bugs (security and others).
"Hey, I tested it, it works!" What's missing in that statement is that it works for usual test cases. Software breaks on unusual/abnormal inputs. If, e.g., strcpy causes buffer overflow in your program, it is YOUR code that is crap because it didn't ensure proper preconditions. Don't project your incompetence/stupidity on strcpy.
THIS is what programmers should learn.
Your quote from K&R "critique": "And, what's the point of a book full of code you can't actually use in your own programs?" This line of thinking is despicable. A book is supposed to teach people ideas and concepts, not give them ready-made code recipes that they can copy-paste in their own programs.
strcpy() is not broken. You cannot expect a function to work if you violate its preconditions. Exercise for you: enumerate strcpy's preconditions. And once you know them, you design your program in accord with them.
> There's extensive attention to testing
Testing can only prove the presence of bugs, not their absence. Heavy emphasis on testing leads to coding by trial-and-error, which, I argue, is the prime source of bugs (security and others).
"Hey, I tested it, it works!" What's missing in that statement is that it works for usual test cases. Software breaks on unusual/abnormal inputs. If, e.g., strcpy causes buffer overflow in your program, it is YOUR code that is crap because it didn't ensure proper preconditions. Don't project your incompetence/stupidity on strcpy.
THIS is what programmers should learn.
Your quote from K&R "critique": "And, what's the point of a book full of code you can't actually use in your own programs?" This line of thinking is despicable. A book is supposed to teach people ideas and concepts, not give them ready-made code recipes that they can copy-paste in their own programs.