# mkirchner/linked-list-good-taste

Linus Torvalds' linked list argument for good taste, explained

Repository: https://github.com/mkirchner/linked-list-good-taste
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/linked-list-good-taste
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: elegant, torvalds, linked-list, pointers, c
Last push: 2024-04-24T09:17:06+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2110, "days_push": 861, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2266, forks 135 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:32.757235+00:00)

## What it is
An educational repository explaining Linus Torvalds' 'good taste' linked list example, walking through pointer-to-pointer (indirect addressing) techniques in C for elegant list removal and insertion. It includes runnable code comparing the textbook special-case version with the elegant branch-free version.

## Use cases
- learn pointer-to-pointer linked list manipulation
- understand Linus Torvalds' good taste coding example
- teach students how to eliminate special cases in C code
- study elegant singly linked list removal and insertion
- improve my C pointer skills

## When to choose
- you want a detailed, step-by-step explanation of the indirect pointer technique
- you are teaching or learning C data structures and idiomatic pointer usage
- you want runnable code illustrating the famous TED talk example

## When to avoid
- you need a production-ready linked list library for real projects
- you want general-purpose data structures beyond this one example
- you are not comfortable with C pointers, as the material assumes some familiarity

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: stable
- function: developer-tools, documentation
- domain: education, programming-languages, tutorials
- platform: cpp, cross-platform
- tags: linked-list, pointers, c, code-style, torvalds, indirect-pointers, cs-education, algorithms

## Member repositories
- mkirchner/linked-list-good-taste (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:32.757235+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:42:23.104100+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/mkirchner/linked-list-good-taste (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:32.757235+00:00, sha 09139270f8d0)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.