Re: Separation and tiered architecture WAS: Re: Succesful Status code (was: Request for testing of Reltive File status

On Thu, 21 May 2009 13:58:24 +1200, "Pete Dashwood"
<dashwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I have heard many programmers echo your sentiments, Howard, but there is
more to it than meets the eye.

Separation of software into layers is NOT just "needless overhead", even
though it can seem that way on the surface.

True. But with every choice there are advantages and disadvantages.
In this case we seemed to get the worst of both worlds.

Part of the problem is that we have traditional testing standards.
There's no way we will change that program even to correct the status
code '97' oversight, as this would involve extensive testing and
signing off of every single program that called it. In order to
move to multiple use of encapsulated routines, different testing
methods and standards are required.

So we lived with the error.

The way around such standards tends to be switching to a different
language, such as Java - and getting someone else to create the new
standards. That has been the case with many technology changes, in
IS and elsewhere. Heck, it isn't even limited to technological
changes!


And another thing was with the large copy members that were not
designed with any thought of changing the output from the original
design. The component is there - but only to do what was easier to
do within the program. We had another program that printed reports,
after we figured out the copy members and designed the reports to fit
its copy members. It was not designed so that we could sometimes
write to XML instead of to the printer.

We didn't gain any of the advantages of encapsulation. I suppose
they heard that encapsulation was a good idea, but didn't think things
through and make it flexible enough.

What would be good would be a called program that created XML, and
another one to turn that XML into standard reports. But this program
was older than XML.

A tool such as encapsulation can be very good indeed. Which doesn't
mean it can be misused or abused.

--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison
.

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