Why do you use left-handed pointer syntax?

In this book I write the syntax for pointers in a left-handed way int* x;, rather than the standard right-handed convention int *x;.

Ultimately this distinction is one of personal preference, but the vast majority of C code, as well as the C standards, are written using the right-handed style. This is clearly the default, and most correct way to write pointers, and so my choice might seem odd.

I picked the left-handed version because I believe it is easier to teach to beginners. Having the asterisk on the left hand side emphasises the type. It is clearer to read, and makes it obvious that the asterisk is not a weird operator or modification to the variable. With the omission of arrays, and multi-variable declarations, this notation is also almost entirely consistent within this book, and when not, it is noted. K&R themselves have admitted the confusion of the right-handed syntax, made worse by historical baggage and rogue compiler implementations of the early years. For a learning resource I believe picking the left-handed version was the best approach.

Once comfortable with the method behind C’s declaration syntax, I encourage programmers to migrate toward the right-handed version.