A set of standards has been presented for C programming style.
Among the most important points are:
The proper use of white space and comments
so that the structure of the program is evident from
the layout of the code.
The use of simple expressions, statements, and functions
so that they may be understood easily.
To keep in mind that
you or someone else will likely be asked to modify code or make
it run on a different machine sometime in the future.
Craft code so that it is portable to obscure machines.
Localize optimizations since they are often confusing
and may be ``pessimizations'' on other machines.
Many style choices are arbitrary.
Having a style that is consistent
(particularly with group standards)
is more important than following absolute style rules.
Mixing styles is worse than using any single bad style.
As with any standard, it must be followed if it is to be useful.
If you have trouble following any of these standards
don't just ignore them.
Talk with an experienced programmer.