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Software Tools by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger: A Classic Book on Structured Programming
If you are a programmer or a software developer, you probably have heard of or used some of the software tools that were introduced or popularized by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger in their classic book Software Tools. This book, published in 1976, is one of the most influential books on structured programming and software engineering ever written. It teaches how to build software tools using simple, modular, and portable code that can be reused and adapted for different purposes.
software tools brian w kernighan pdf 14
Introduction
Software Tools is a book about how to write programs that make other programs easier to write. It shows how to design, implement, test, debug, document, and maintain software tools that can be used for various tasks such as text processing, file manipulation, data analysis, program generation, etc. The book also explains the principles and techniques of structured programming, which is a method of organizing code into small, well-defined units that can be easily understood, modified, and combined.
The authors of Software Tools are Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger, who are both renowned computer scientists and programmers. Brian W. Kernighan works in the Computing Science Research Center at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies. He is the co-author of The C Programming Language, The UNIX Programming Environment, and The Practice of Programming. P. J. Plauger is the president of Whitesmiths, Ltd., New York. He is the author of The Standard C Library, Programming on Purpose, and Standard C++ IOStreams and Locales.
The book is organized into 15 chapters, each covering a different aspect of software tools. The chapters are:
Chapter 1: Preface
Chapter 2: Filters
Chapter 3: Files
Chapter 4: Sorting
Chapter 5: Generating Programs
Chapter 6: Macro Processing
Chapter 7: Pattern Matching and Data Conversion
Chapter 8: Editing
Chapter 9: Formatting Text
Chapter 10: Formatting Data
Chapter 11: Graphing Data
Chapter 12: Interpreters and Compilers
Chapter 13: Debugging Tools
Chapter 14: Document Preparation Tools
Chapter 15: Indexes and References
Filters
A filter is a program that reads input from one source, transforms it in some way, and writes output to another destination. Filters are useful for processing data in a stream, such as text, numbers, or binary codes. Filters can be combined with other filters or programs using pipes, which are mechanisms that connect the output of one program to the input of another.
In Software Tools, the authors present several examples of filters and how to write them using a language called RATFOR, which is a variant of FORTRAN that supports structured programming features. Some of the filters in the book are:
copy: copies input to output without any change.
number: adds line numbers to input.
entab: replaces blanks with tabs in input.
detab: replaces tabs with blanks in input.
squeeze: removes extra blanks from input.
translit: translates characters in input according to a given table.
crypt: encrypts or decrypts input using a simple substitution cipher.
crc: computes a cyclic redundancy check on input.
tally: counts the number of occurrences of each character in input.
wc: counts the number of lines, words, and characters in input.
The benefits of filters for software development are:
They are easy to write and test, since they have a simple interface and functionality.
They are reusable and adaptable, since they can be applied to different kinds of data and combined with other tools.
They are efficient and portable, since they use standard input and output streams and do not depend on any specific hardware or operating system.
Files
A file is a collection of data that is stored on a secondary storage device, such as a disk or a tape. Files can be used to store information that is too large or too persistent to fit in memory. Files can also be used to communicate between different programs or processes. Files can have different formats and structures, depending on the type and purpose of the data they contain.
In Software Tools, the authors explain how to perform various operations on files using RATFOR programs. Some of the file operations in the book are:
fopen: opens a file for reading or writing.
fclose: closes a file after use.
fgetc: reads a character from a file.
fputc: writes a character to a file.
fgets: reads a line from a file.
fputs: writes a line to a file.
fread: reads a block of data from a file.
fwrite: writes a block of data to a file.
fseek: moves the file pointer to a specified position in a file.
Other Software Tools
Besides filters and files, there are many other software tools that can help programmers to perform various tasks and solve different problems. In Software Tools, the authors introduce and demonstrate some of these tools and how to use them effectively. Some of the other software tools in the book are:
diff: compares two files and shows the differences between them.
patch: applies changes to a file based on a diff output.
sort: sorts the lines of a file according to a given criterion.
uniq: removes duplicate lines from a sorted file.
join: merges two sorted files based on a common field.
split: splits a file into smaller files of a given size.
tr: translates characters in a file according to a given table.
sed: performs stream editing on a file using a script of commands.
awk: performs pattern matching and data processing on a file using a script of commands.
make: automates the process of building and maintaining software projects.
The benefits of other software tools for software development are:
They are powerful and versatile, since they can handle complex and diverse tasks and problems.
They are flexible and customizable, since they can be controlled by various parameters and options.
They are compatible and interoperable, since they can work with different formats and structures of data and communicate with other tools.
RATFOR
RATFOR is a language that was created by Brian W. Kernighan as an extension of FORTRAN, which is one of the oldest and most widely used programming languages. RATFOR stands for Rational FORTRAN, and it adds some features that make FORTRAN more suitable for structured programming. Some of the features of RATFOR are:
if-else: provides conditional branching based on an expression.
while: provides looping while an expression is true.
repeat-until: provides looping until an expression is true.
for: provides looping with a counter variable and a range.
break: provides early exit from a loop.
next: provides skipping to the next iteration of a loop.
switch-case-default-break: provides multiple branching based on an expression.
#define: provides macro substitution for constants or expressions.
#include: provides inclusion of external files into the source code.
#ifdef-#else-#endif: provides conditional compilation based on macro definitions.
In Software Tools, the authors use RATFOR to write most of the programs and examples in the book. They also provide a RATFOR preprocessor, which is a program that converts RATFOR code into FORTRAN code that can be compiled and executed by any standard FORTRAN compiler. The authors also explain how to write and use a RATFOR preprocessor using RATFOR itself.
The benefits of RATFOR for structured programming are:
It makes FORTRAN more readable and maintainable, since it reduces the use of GOTO statements and labels, and introduces more meaningful keywords and symbols.
It makes FORTRAN more expressive and concise, since it allows complex logic and calculations to be written in fewer lines of code.
It makes FORTRAN more portable and compatible, since it can be translated into standard FORTRAN that can run on any platform or system that supports FORTRAN.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Software Tools by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger is a classic book on structured programming and software engineering that teaches how to build software tools using simple, modular, and portable code that can be reused and adapted for different purposes. The book covers various topics such as filters, files, sorting, generating programs, macro processing, pattern matching, data conversion, editing, formatting text, formatting data, graphing data, interpreters, compilers, debugging tools, document preparation tools, indexes, and references. The book also introduces and demonstrates a language called RATFOR, which is a variant of FORTRAN that supports structured programming features.
If you are interested in learning more about software tools and structured programming, or if you want to apply the concepts and techniques from the book to your own projects, we recommend you to read the book yourself and try out the examples and exercises in the book. You can also check out some of the other books by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger, such as The Elements of Programming Style, The C Programming Language, The Practice of Programming, and The UNIX Programming Environment. You can also explore some of the modern software tools that are based on or inspired by the concepts from the book, such as grep, sed, awk, make, git, and Python.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about Software Tools by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger:
Q: Where can I find a PDF version of the book?
A: You can download a PDF version of the book from this link. However, we encourage you to buy a physical copy of the book if you can, as it will support the authors and publishers.
Q: What are some other books by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger?
A: Some other books by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger are The Elements of Programming Style, The C Programming Language, The Practice of Programming, and The UNIX Programming Environment. These books are also classics in the field of computer science and programming, and they cover topics such as programming style, C language, software design, and UNIX system.
Q: What are some modern software tools that are based on or inspired by the concepts from the book?
A: Some modern software tools that are based on or inspired by the concepts from the book are grep, sed, awk, make, git, and Python. These tools are widely used by programmers and developers for various tasks such as text processing, file manipulation, data analysis, program generation, version control, and scripting.
Q: How can I learn more about structured programming and software engineering?
A: You can learn more about structured programming and software engineering by taking online courses, reading blogs and articles, watching videos and podcasts, and joining communities and forums. Some of the online courses that we recommend are:
Programming Languages by University of Washington on Coursera.
Software Construction: Data Abstraction by University of British Columbia on edX.
Software Engineering Essentials by Eduonix Learning Solutions on Udemy.
Some of the blogs and articles that we recommend are:
Brian W. Kernighan's Homepage, where you can find his publications, talks, courses, and projects.
P. J. Plauger's Articles on Dr. Dobb's Journal, where you can find his writings on various topics related to programming and software development.
Structured Programming by Martin Fowler, where you can find his thoughts on the history and relevance of structured programming.
Some of the videos and podcasts that we recommend are:
Q: How can I improve my skills as a content writer and SEO writer?
A: You can improve your skills as a content writer and SEO writer by practicing regularly, reading high-quality content, researching your topics, using keywords and headings, engaging your audience, and getting feedback. Some of the tips and resources that we recommend are:
Content Writing Masterclass by Copyblogger, where you can learn the fundamentals and best practices of content writing.
SEO Learning Center by Moz, where you can learn the basics and advanced techniques of search engine optimization.
Blog Topic Generator by HubSpot, where you can generate ideas for your blog posts based on your keywords.
Grammarly, where you can check and improve your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Headline Analyzer by CoSchedule, where you can optimize your headlines for SEO and social media.
Quora, where you can find and answer questions related to your topics and niches.
r/writing, where you can join a community of writers and get feedback and advice on your writing.
Thank you for reading this article on Software Tools by Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger. I hope you found it informative and useful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. Happy reading and happy coding! 71b2f0854b