What kind of loop is for (;;)?

Question

Found in torvalds/linux-2.6.git -> kernel/mutex.c line 171

I have tried to find it on Google and such to no avail.

What does for (;;) instruct?

Answer 1

The for(;;) is an infinite loop condition, similar to while(1) as most have already mentioned. You would more often see this, in kernel mutex codes, or mutex eg problem such as dining philosophers. Until the mutex variable is set to a particular value, such that a second process gets access to the resource, the second process keeps on looping, also known as busy wait. Access to a resource can be disk access, for which 2 process are competing to gain access using a mutex such that at a time only one process has the access to the resource.

Answer 2

It is functionally equivilent to while(true) { }.

The reason why the for(;;) syntax is sometimes preferred comes from an older age where for(;;) actually compiled to a slightly faster machine code than while(TRUE) {}. This is because for(;;) { foo(); } will translate in the first pass of the compiler to:

lbl_while_condition:
   mov $t1, 1
   cmp $t1, 0
   jnz _exit_while
lbl_block:
   call _foo
   jmp lbl_while_condition

whereas the for(;;) would compile in the first pass to:

lbl_for_init:
   ; do nothing
lbl_for_condition:
   ; always
lbl_for_block:
   call foo;
lbl_for_iterate:
   ; no iterate
   jmp lbl_for_condition

i.e.

 lbl_for_ever:
    call foo
    jmp lbl_for_ever

Hence saving 3 instructions on every pass of the loop.

In practice however, both statements have long since been not only functionally equivalent, but also actually equivalent, since optimisations in the compiler for all builds other than debug builds will ensure that the mov, cmp and jnz are optimised away in the while(1) case, resulting in optimal code for both for(;;) and while(1).

Answer 3

It's an infinite loop that you'll have to break somehow from within using a break, return or goto statement. or either some interrupt happens otherwise this loop will run infinitely and executes ;(null statement) every time

Answer 4

That was obviously an infinite loop condition.

Answer 5

It loops forever (until the code inside the loop calls break or return, of course. while(1) is equivalent, I personally find it more logical to use that.

Answer 6

It is same as writing infinite loop using " for " statement but u have to use break or some other statement that can get out of this loop.