[geeks] Misuse of Java

[Dave McGuire]

On Wednesday, November 6, 2002, at 11:44 AM, Jonathan C Patschke wrote:
>> I am not a programmer but am curious what you mean by
>> good programming practice. Is there a list of things to
>> do prior to and after writing code to make sure it is
>> "good"?
>
> Design and testing, respectively.  A lot of code out there resembles a 
> house that didn't have a floorplan before people started pouring a 
> foundation.  There are also some really good books on algorithms that 
> a lot of programmers fail to read.  Writing good code is strenuous 
> mental work, and a lot of people treat it as "art" that shouldn't be 
> "constrained" to a "right way".

   Well I can't say I agree fully with that point though, Jon...Many 
programs suck mightily due to excessive "design".  Design isn't a 
substitute for actually writing the code...While it should never be 
slapped together haphazardly, there *is* such a thing as "too much 
design", and many "professional" programmers do it routinely.

   I would suggest reading up on a philosophy known as "extreme 
programming" (actually I'll be surprised if you don't already know 
about it)...its proponents say very interesting and thought-provoking 
things on this subject.

        -Dave

--
Dave McGuire              "So you're really not gonna bite on the
St. Petersburg, FL              transvestite bait?"    -Doc Shipley