Thread: K&R question

I am reading the second edition of this great book and I have a question about a function that can be found on page 69. Here is the function:

Code:

int getline(char s[], int lim)
{
    int c, i;
    
    i = 0;
    while (--lim > 0 && (c = getchar()) != EOF && c != '\n')
        s[i++] = c;
    if (c == '\n')
        s[i++] = c;
    s[i] = '\0';
    return i;
}

Why, instead of writing the code highlighted in red the authors did not just write something like this?

Code:

while (--lim > 0 && (c = getchar()) != EOF)
    ...

Thanks.

Because to get a line, you should stop at a newline. And if it way a newline, and was not EOF or limit, the newline is post-fixed to the buffer.