comp.lang.c FAQ list · Question 4.1

Q: What are pointers really good for, anyway?

A: They're good for lots of things, such as:

dynamically-allocated arrays (see questions 6.14 and 6.16)
generic access to several similar variables
(simulated) by-reference function parameters (see question 4.8 and 20.1)
malloc'ed data structures of all kinds, especially trees and linked lists
walking over arrays (for example, while parsing strings)
efficient, by-reference ``copies'' of arrays and structures, especially as function parameters

(Note that this is hardly a comprehensive list!)