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)