# in the Hare and Hounds game, will Hare always win?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-hare-and-hounds-game-will-hare-always-win/569378>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 29, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-hare-and-hounds-game-will-hare-always-win/569378 "2011-01-29T05:13:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-hare-and-hounds-game-will-hare-always-win/569378/81 "2011-02-09T19:52:11Z")

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> [@Rysto](#):
>
> [hijack]The coding standard that I have to follow requires the braces to be omitted if possible. I hate it for exactly that reason.[/hijack]

_Requiring_ braces when optional seems far too domineering, yet would be tolerable. _Forbidding_ braces when optional may be the most insane coding standard I’ve ever heard of. Is this supervisor an efficiency nut worried about the extra NOP’s needed for the { and } ? 😃

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**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-hare-and-hounds-game-will-hare-always-win/569378/82 "2011-02-09T20:14:43Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> _Requiring_ braces when optional seems far too domineering, yet would be tolerable. _Forbidding_ braces when optional may be the most insane coding standard I’ve ever heard of. Is this supervisor an efficiency nut worried about the extra NOP’s needed for the { and } ? 😃

It’s an open-source project that has its origins in the days when everything was down through terminals and every line was sacred.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-hare-and-hounds-game-will-hare-always-win/569378/83 "2011-02-10T05:40:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Requiring braces when optional seems far too domineering, yet would be tolerable.

No, that’d be completely intolerable, since it’d mean infinitely-regressive code bloat. You can always add more optional braces.

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-hare-and-hounds-game-will-hare-always-win/569378/84 "2011-02-10T07:27:43Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> No, that’d be completely intolerable, since it’d mean infinitely-regressive code bloat. You can always add more optional braces.

I guess you’re implying that that standard would require that

```auto

     if (0) /* we never come here */ {
            /* but do nothing if we do */
     }

```

be replaced with

```auto

     if (0) /* we never come here */ {
            /* but do nothing if we do */
          {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{
             /* sure hope we're not using that old gcc with the memory bug! */
             .......
          }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
     }

```

Modifying the “mandatory braces” to apply only when enclosing a non-null statement, would you agree it’s a superior standard to the “forbidden optional braces”? And if the forbidden braces are not the insanest standard you’ve ever heard of, what is? 😃

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