Re: I need more eyes on this one.

From: who (someone_at_somewhere.com)
Date: 07/08/04 

Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 02:02:22 GMT

Hi Ken,

My comments were indeed critical of your code and I stand them. One
important thing is that you must learn to take responsibility for and learn
from the problems you create in the real world. Another way you can look at
it, is that it doesn't pay to stress about problems - just learn from them.
I wouldn't have given you my time, not have thought about what can actually
help you, if I measured up to your description of me. However, this is not
relevant since it is the programmer that must keep a cool head when
designing solutions. The problems in your code are visible in the areas that
I mentioned. You spoke of a specific issue in your code, but I pointed the
remaining contributing factors early, before you get yourself into another
mess. Since this is a learners group, and that others also benefit from
information posted here, it was not directed at you alone. Everyone who
reads the messages posted here, will have an opinion about it.

> Have you ever worked for the government as the customer? No code would
> ever get written if you waited for your customer to have given you a
> complete description of their data and needs. Sometimes it has to just
> "work" before you get to do a rewrite.

No, this is a very bad idea. I'm astounded that you have proven the adverse
by experiencing the problems you mentioned in your code, but still refuse to
learn from it. This lack of method just does not work, just like your code
would not compile. Have your customer and PM drafted and agreed to a quality
management plan? Doesn't look like it, or maybe they have and you don't know
about it. If you don't care about the quality of your product and proceed to
design and code in this fashion, you'll experience no end of problems and
every issue that is raised as a result is deservedly your own fault. What
will you do to circumvent this?

> The name of this group is "learn.c-c++", not "for.experts.of.C++", isn't
> it? Maybe if you weren't so superior in your tone, I would learn
> faster, rather than having to get past your tone /before/ I can learn.

You will learn faster by taking the time to think about the problem and the
consequences of the solution you propose, by designing more than one
solution to the code that you are having issues with. The actual time wasted
by resources on badly designed and written code would be better allocated
elsewhere. Some programmers think they are saving time when they dive into
coding without sufficiently thinking about the design or code, but what
happens here is that the maintenance side costs them much more than it would
have during the design and coding phases. The further down the track you
allow problems to persist, the worse it gets for the code and the programmer
who wrote it (if they're still around that is).

> Have a nice time on the mountaintop, "who". I'll get this figured out,
> without coming back here, that's for sure.

Try making a comment like that to an experienced programmer that you need
assistance from on many occasions in your team, better still make it to your
manager or team leader who gives you the work.

> It's just that, as a
> non-expert, I did spend plenty of time before I finally decided that I
> couldn't get it for myself, and when I come here, I would prefer not to
> be pummelled into the ground before I can get help. I guess you were
> just born spouting perfect C++ code. Goodbye.

You don't always get what you want, but if you cannot see the benefits and
the good advice that has already been given to you, not only in this thread,
then I can see that you're in for a very difficult time. Programmers and
designers are in the area of problem solving, those with potential don't
give up before they've started or when a problem is frustrating - they look
for another way.

Programming is not only about programming. Think about project management
and being in a project team for example. If a good PM was choosing or
employing programmers for a tight project, he will choose those that
understand other important things also such as risk, design, standards,
project management, processes (development, project, business),
communication, team work, maintenance, support, lifecycles, documentation,
problem solving techniques and then some, rather than those who don't. In
other words, people who are not totally withdrawn and have no idea about the
overall project, their role within it and the environment they work in.

Regards,

M

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