Lint (software)

Lint (English for lint ) is a computer program for static code analysis of the source code of computer programs. The verb Linten (English linting ) for performing static code analysis has established it independently as a general term.

History

Lint was the first of a series of tools for static code analysis of the source code of computer programs. It's main purpose was to compensate for the weaknesses of then-existing compiler. These were made over long distances requires proper source code and conducted only rudimentary tests. In addition to the detection of dangerous constructs such as uninitialized variables, Lint also laid great emphasis on the review of a consistent layout of the source code and to the recognition of non- portable constructs such as dependencies on the operating system or by the compiler.

Originally developed by Bell Labs for the C programming language, Lint was in 1979 with the seventh version (V7 ) of the operating system Unix, published as part of the PCC said, portable C compiler. This was the second compiler for the system according to the PDP 11 compiler. The differences between System V and BSD are particularly evident in Lint.

As early as 1985 a port of Lint was also offered for use on both Windows and advertised as a software product since then. It would thus act to one of the longest advertised software tools of history.

Development

Many of the tests performed Lint have been fed by the advances in compiler construction in today's compilers. These now generate highly optimized code, they also need to make much more extensive static analyzes.

Some checks have become obsolete because some portability problems no longer exist through better standardization of programming languages. Through the use of modern development environments and context-sensitive text editors with syntax highlighting and automatic indentation Also the formatting problem has eased somewhat.

With the emergence and spread of C is trying to Lint checks to expand specifically for the new language constructs. The unique feature of the first year but has lost Lint. Today a number of sometimes far more sophisticated tools for static code analysis are available on the market. Regardless of this, Lint is due to its small size, high stability, wide configurability and cross-platform availability especially for distributed projects. This source code is contributed by different developers, but should nevertheless satisfy standard quality criteria. Only then automates creation runs can run or a file can be prepared.

Designation

The name Lint is derived from the English term for unwanted quantities of fibers and fluff in sheep's wool.

Derived names uses

• In the Android Development Tools ( development tool for Google's Android operating system ) a lint feature was added in November 2011 that checks the code for potential vulnerabilities and communicated to the developer.
• Sapwood, a source code analysis tool.