<s>
Lint	B-Device
,	O
or	O
a	O
linter	B-Device
,	O
is	O
a	O
static	O
code	O
analysis	O
tool	O
used	O
to	O
flag	O
programming	B-Error_Name
errors	I-Error_Name
,	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
,	O
stylistic	O
errors	O
and	O
suspicious	O
constructs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
originates	O
from	O
a	O
Unix	B-Application
utility	B-Application
that	O
examined	O
C	B-Language
language	I-Language
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stephen	O
C	B-Language
.	O
Johnson	O
,	O
a	O
computer	O
scientist	O
at	O
Bell	O
Labs	O
,	O
came	O
up	O
with	O
lint	B-Device
in	O
1978	O
while	O
debugging	O
the	O
yacc	B-Application
grammar	O
he	O
was	O
writing	O
for	O
C	B-Language
and	O
dealing	O
with	O
portability	B-Architecture
issues	O
stemming	O
from	O
porting	O
Unix	B-Application
to	O
a	O
32-bit	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
lint	B-Device
"	O
was	O
derived	O
from	O
lint	B-Device
,	O
the	O
name	O
for	O
the	O
tiny	O
bits	O
of	O
fiber	O
and	O
fluff	O
shed	O
by	O
clothing	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
command	O
should	O
act	O
like	O
the	O
lint	B-Device
trap	O
in	O
a	O
clothes	O
dryer	O
,	O
detecting	O
small	O
errors	O
to	O
great	O
effect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1979	O
,	O
lint	B-Device
was	O
used	O
outside	O
of	O
Bell	O
Labs	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
seventh	O
version	O
(	O
V7	B-Operating_System
)	O
of	O
Unix	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
years	O
,	O
different	O
versions	O
of	O
lint	B-Device
have	O
been	O
developed	O
for	O
many	O
C	B-Language
and	O
C++	B-Language
compilers	B-Language
,	O
and	O
while	O
modern-day	O
compilers	B-Language
have	O
lint-like	O
functions	O
,	O
lint-like	O
tools	O
have	O
also	O
advanced	O
their	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Gimpel	O
's	O
PC-Lint	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
1985	O
and	O
used	O
to	O
analyze	O
C++	B-Language
source	O
code	O
,	O
is	O
still	O
for	O
sale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
analysis	O
performed	O
by	O
lint-like	O
tools	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
performed	O
by	O
an	O
optimizing	B-Application
compiler	I-Application
,	O
which	O
aims	O
to	O
generate	O
faster	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
original	O
1978	O
paper	O
,	O
Johnson	O
addressed	O
this	O
issue	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
general	O
notion	O
of	O
having	O
two	O
programs	O
is	O
a	O
good	O
one	O
"	O
because	O
they	O
concentrate	O
on	O
different	O
things	O
,	O
thereby	O
allowing	O
the	O
programmer	O
to	O
"	O
concentrate	O
at	O
one	O
stage	O
of	O
the	O
programming	O
process	O
solely	O
on	O
the	O
algorithms	O
,	O
data	B-General_Concept
structures	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
correctness	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
later	O
retrofit	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
aid	O
of	O
lint	B-Device
,	O
the	O
desirable	O
properties	O
of	O
universality	O
and	O
portability	B-Architecture
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
though	O
modern	O
compilers	B-Language
have	O
evolved	O
to	O
include	O
many	O
of	O
lint	B-Device
's	O
historical	O
functions	O
,	O
lint-like	O
tools	O
have	O
also	O
evolved	O
to	O
detect	O
an	O
even	O
wider	O
variety	O
of	O
suspicious	O
constructs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
"	O
warnings	O
about	O
syntax	O
errors	O
,	O
uses	O
of	O
undeclared	B-Error_Name
variables	I-Error_Name
,	O
calls	O
to	O
deprecated	O
functions	O
,	O
spacing	O
and	O
formatting	O
conventions	O
,	O
misuse	O
of	O
scope	O
,	O
implicit	O
fallthrough	O
in	O
switch	O
statements	O
,	O
missing	O
license	O
headers	O
,	O
dangerous	O
...	O
language	O
features	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lint-like	O
tools	O
are	O
especially	O
useful	O
for	O
dynamically	O
typed	O
languages	O
like	O
JavaScript	B-Language
and	O
Python	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
compilers	B-Language
of	O
such	O
languages	O
typically	O
do	O
not	O
enforce	O
as	O
many	O
and	O
as	O
strict	O
rules	O
prior	O
to	O
execution	B-General_Concept
,	O
linter	B-Device
tools	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
simple	O
debuggers	O
for	O
finding	O
common	O
errors	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Lint-like	O
tools	O
generally	O
perform	O
static	O
analysis	O
of	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lint-like	O
tools	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
developed	O
for	O
other	O
aspects	O
of	O
language	O
,	O
including	O
grammar	O
and	O
style	O
guides	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fortran	B-Application
compilers	B-Language
using	O
space-squeezing	O
techniques	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
1130	O
)	O
made	O
it	O
impossible	O
for	O
the	O
compiler	B-Language
to	O
see	O
the	O
problem	O
with	O
lines	O
like	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
which	O
is	O
why	O
programs	O
like	O
Lint	B-Device
for	O
Fortran	B-Application
can	O
be	O
helpful	O
.	O
</s>
