Zed,

Please don't feel bad or sorry here. Your critic to the code is VALID. Besides, you are not the only one who have understood the problem in K&R. I had a boss who was aware of this since 90's and talked about it when I was quite ignorant of his points then until I got bitten. But I am glad you rediscovered the problem and made an effort to write it on web.

K&R has its value in historical context. I hope you are not discouraged by the general reaction and I really think we should put more effort in creating new material to teach people in modern context. Please keep on working on it!