Why choosing for (;;){} over while(1)? [duplicate]

Answer 1

The two are equivalent and will most likely result in identical machine code. Choosing one over the other is a matter of personal preference.

Answer 2

They produce identical code. There are a couple of reasons why you might prefer for (;;) but it is all just personal preference:

1. Some compilers will warn you about conditions that are always true. for(;;) will not have that problem.

2. for (;;) literally reads as "Just loop forever!", whereas while (true) still appears to have some kind of condition.

I say pick one and stick with it. It doesn't matter as long as you don't switch between them arbitrarily.

Answer 3

It does not really matter - it is just personal preference.

I like for(;;) better because I think it underlines loop forever aspect.

Answer 4

This is the form of the forever loop that Kernighan and Ritchie used in their book^*. There is absolutely no other reason to prefer one form over the other.

^* Section 3.5 on While and For loops, example number four.