Re: Lisp's future

From: Erann Gat (gNOSPAMat_at_jpl.nasa.gov)
Date: 01/27/04

  • Next message: Joe Marshall: "Re: Debugging and Scheme" 
    Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 11:56:03 -0800

    In article <isixfd1n.fsf@ccs.neu.edu>, Joe Marshall <jrm@ccs.neu.edu> wrote:

    > gNOSPAMat@jpl.nasa.gov (Erann Gat) writes:
    >
    > > I don't. Spolsky does it himself. He writes:
    > >
    > > "...failing to write a spec is the single biggest unnecessary risk you
    > > take in a software project. It's as stupid as setting off to cross the
    > > Mojave desert with just the clothes on your back, hoping to 'wing it.' "
    > >
    > > Sounds pretty unequivocal to me.
    >
    > Yep. How did he know that it was the Mojave desert, though?

    Well, it's his metaphor.

    > It's all nice and well to say `plan ahead of time', and it is a great
    > idea *if you can do it*, but if you do not know the obstacles, how do
    > you plan for them?

    You can make some reasonable assumptions about the obstacles one is likely
    to encounter. Columbus, for example, has precious little clue what he
    would find, but he still didn't just jump into the ocean and start to
    swim. Lewis and Clark didn't just walk out their front door with nothing
    but a walking stick. This "zero knowledge" hypothesis is a straw man.
    You always know *something* about where you're going, even if you're just
    going walkabout.

    > Incidentally, it isn't feasible to just `assume that the desert is
    > bigger than what you currently see'. So we've prepared for the
    > desert, and we've crossed it without too much difficulty, and now
    > we're standing on the shores of Lake Powell. I assume someone thought
    > to bring a boat?

    If your goal was to cross the dessert then you don't need a boat. By
    arriving at Lake Powell you have achieved your goal.

    On the other hand, if your goal was to reach the East Coast, and crossing
    the Mojave is just a subgoal in service of that larger goal, then a boat
    could be very handy. But it's best to think about that *before* you
    strike out across the desert. It seems to me that this analogy supports
    Spolsky's position.

    E.

  • Next message: Joe Marshall: "Re: Debugging and Scheme"

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