gotcha

<jargon, programming>

A misfeature of a system, especially a programming language or environment, that tends to breed bugs or mistakes because it both enticingly easy to invoke and completely unexpected and/or unreasonable in its outcome.

For example, a classic gotcha in C is the fact that 

 if (a=b) {code;}
is syntactically valid and sometimes even correct. It puts the value of "b" into "a" and then executes "code" if "a" is non-zero. What the programmer probably meant was 

 if (a==b) {code;}
which executes "code" if "a" and "b" are equal.

[Jargon File]

Last updated: 1995-04-17

goto

<programming>

(Or "GOTO", "go to", "GO TO", "JUMP", "JMP") A construct and keyword found in several higher-level programming languages (e.g. Fortran, COBOL, BASIC, C) to cause an unconditional jump or transfer of control from one point in a program to another. The destination of the jump is usually indicated by a label following the GOTO keyword.

In some languages, a label is a line number, in which case every statement may be labelled, in others a label is an optional alphanumeric identifier.

Use of the GOTO instruction in high level language programming fell into disrepute with the development and general acceptance of structured programming, and especially following the famous article "GOTO statement considered harmful". Since a GOTO is effectively an assignment to the program counter, it is tempting to make the generalisation "assignment considered harmful" and indeed, this is the basis of functional programming.

Nearly(?) all machine language instruction sets include a GOTO instruction, though in this context it is usually called branch or jump or some mnemonic based on these.

See also COME FROM.

Last updated: 2000-12-13

Gottlob Frege

<person, history, philosophy, mathematics, logic, theory>

(1848-1925) A mathematician who put mathematics on a new and more solid foundation. He purged mathematics of mistaken, sloppy reasoning and the influence of Pythagoras. Mathematics was shown to be a subdivision of formal logic.

[Where?]

Last updated: 1997-07-14

Nearby terms:

GOSMACS ♦ Gosperism ♦ GOSPL ♦ gotcha ♦ goto ♦ Gottlob Frege ♦ gov ♦ governance

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