Re: OK, it's the matter of database structure rather

John Kelly wrote:
On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:10:24 -0300, Cesar Rabak <csrabak@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

ZB escreveu:
How - in your opinion - it's depending on the kind and volume of data?

Because in engineering that's the way things are.

Here we go again.

If I run 14 gauge wire to the electrical outlets of my house, instead
of 0 gauge, because I never imagine carrying a load of 100 amps to my
computer, that's a reasonable choice to make, due to the extra cost of
installing heavier wire. Admittedly, cost is something engineers have
to factor in.

But in programming, things are different.

There is no "real" cost of building a stronger algorithm which can
handle any possible, albeit unlikely, load of data, aside from the
extra mental effort required to think things all the way through.
This claim doesn't even pass the smell test. Some costs include:
1. Programmer time to design, code, and test the algorithm.
2. Increase in run time (likely)
3. More time to learn and maintain the program going forward.
4. Increased risk of defects based on poor understanding and time
constraints in maintenance.
Mental effort is, alas, not free.

That may not be how "engineers" are trained, but programmers should
be, because you never know what rocks a user may decide to throw at
your fragile little program.

Anything less, is just a lazy programmer's excuse.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OK, its the matter of database structure rather
    ... If I run 14 gauge wire to the electrical outlets of my house, ... cost is something engineers have ... But in programming, things are different. ... That may not be how "engineers" are trained, ...
    (comp.lang.tcl)
  • Re: 110 or 220?
    ... am blown away at how much it would cost for that. ... Amps to 20 Amps. ... Since the existing line was run with 14 gauge wire, ... That whole little fiasco cost me $275. ...
    (rec.woodworking)