infeasible path ==>
dead code
<programming> (Or "infeasible path", "grunge") Any part of a program that
can never be accessed because all calls to it have been removed, or because it
is guarded by a control structure that provably must always transfer control
somewhere else. The presence of dead code may reveal either logical errors due
to alterations in the program or significant changes in the assumptions and
environment of the program (see also software rot); a good compiler should
report dead code so a maintainer can think about what it means. Sometimes it
simply means that an *extremely* defensive programmer has inserted can't happen
tests which really can't happen - yet.
Synonym grunge.
[Jargon File]
(1996-05-22)
Nearby terms:
DEACON « dead « DEADBEEF « dead code »
deadlock » deadly embrace » dead tree
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