Comments for Red Toad Solutions http://www.redtoad.biz Innovation - Technology - Understanding - Results Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:35:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 Comment on Discovery – Just Do it. by Crisis: Project Turnaround Part 1 | Karl Rohde http://www.redtoad.biz/2009/03/discovery/comment-page-1/#comment-96 Crisis: Project Turnaround Part 1 | Karl Rohde Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:35:24 +0000 http://www.redtoad.biz/?p=51#comment-96 [...] Ideally the third party will work with both sides to get a full understanding of what was originally asked for by the client, versus what the vendor though was being asked. This is why a discovery stage is so important, as outlined here in “Discovery – Just Do it“. [...] [...] Ideally the third party will work with both sides to get a full understanding of what was originally asked for by the client, versus what the vendor though was being asked. This is why a discovery stage is so important, as outlined here in “Discovery – Just Do it“. [...]

]]> Comment on The Lost Art – Defensive Programming by links for 2009-08-09 « pabloidz http://www.redtoad.biz/2009/07/the-lost-art-defensive-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-90 links for 2009-08-09 « pabloidz Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:03:17 +0000 http://www.redtoad.biz/?p=147#comment-90 [...] The Lost Art – Defensive Programming Red Toad Solutions (tags: programming) [...] [...] The Lost Art – Defensive Programming Red Toad Solutions (tags: programming) [...]

]]> Comment on The Lost Art – Defensive Programming by Travis Dunn http://www.redtoad.biz/2009/07/the-lost-art-defensive-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Travis Dunn Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:54:36 +0000 http://www.redtoad.biz/?p=147#comment-88 Everything you wrote is probably true, but I'm not sure how meaningful your conclusions are. For one, the surge in interest in TDD is evidence enough that "defense programming" is a passionate topic for today's developers. This holds true on nearly every major platform. You must also consider that as the number of practicing developers grows, so too will the range of skill, its averages, the backgrounds of its members, and so on. The IT environment has changed considerably since nearly twenty years ago when you first got into software development. As far as standards, I've looked at legacy code and I have a hard time believing that source was any kind of readable masterpiece 20 years ago. I'd say if anything the push toward self-documenting code, expressive languages, and DSLs has made today's code more readable on average, regardless of developer skill; a lot of best practices are encoded into the frameworks you deride as a crutch. Everything you wrote is probably true, but I’m not sure how meaningful your conclusions are.

For one, the surge in interest in TDD is evidence enough that “defense programming” is a passionate topic for today’s developers. This holds true on nearly every major platform.

You must also consider that as the number of practicing developers grows, so too will the range of skill, its averages, the backgrounds of its members, and so on. The IT environment has changed considerably since nearly twenty years ago when you first got into software development.

As far as standards, I’ve looked at legacy code and I have a hard time believing that source was any kind of readable masterpiece 20 years ago. I’d say if anything the push toward self-documenting code, expressive languages, and DSLs has made today’s code more readable on average, regardless of developer skill; a lot of best practices are encoded into the frameworks you deride as a crutch.

]]> Comment on The Lost Art – Defensive Programming by Cris Malinescu http://www.redtoad.biz/2009/07/the-lost-art-defensive-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-87 Cris Malinescu Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:57:31 +0000 http://www.redtoad.biz/?p=147#comment-87 totally agree, I see frustration I share, so I have an understanding for the tone. more and more signs are that we make a living - still, from a dying profession. totally agree, I see frustration I share, so I have an understanding for the tone. more and more signs are that we make a living – still, from a dying profession.

]]> Comment on The Lost Art – Defensive Programming by mariano http://www.redtoad.biz/2009/07/the-lost-art-defensive-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-86 mariano Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:25:51 +0000 http://www.redtoad.biz/?p=147#comment-86 i think that you are completely right, but you have expressed it all with such an anger, my friend... after reading that, I feel like losing the faith on what we do. I do think that's a problem of background, as you said, and maybe attitude as well, but i also do think that the main problem is a meere lack of experience... and also love for what is done (but those get fired or give up themselves -as in almost all the other disciplines-). Perhaps, it may be also our fault, for not considering the lack of experience of our team, on our estimations... I must assume it, i was born as a developer, but not as an experienced one :) i think that you are completely right, but you have expressed it all with such an anger, my friend… after reading that, I feel like losing the faith on what we do.

I do think that’s a problem of background, as you said, and maybe attitude as well, but i also do think that the main problem is a meere lack of experience… and also love for what is done (but those get fired or give up themselves -as in almost all the other disciplines-).
Perhaps, it may be also our fault, for not considering the lack of experience of our team, on our estimations…

I must assume it, i was born as a developer, but not as an experienced one :)

]]> Comment on The Lost Art – Defensive Programming by Mike http://www.redtoad.biz/2009/07/the-lost-art-defensive-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-85 Mike Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:02:37 +0000 http://www.redtoad.biz/?p=147#comment-85 Well, Java happened. When I learned to program, yeah, you wanted to be super careful about defensively programming. Checking everything: every input, every function call, etc. Because you never knew where an error would crop up and leave you hunting around with a debugger for hours. But Java will tell you not only the line number where an error occurred but even *why* it failed. Run into a deadlock? No problem, just get a stack trace and it'll tell you exactly which threads hold which locks. Heaven! New programmers (and yeah, even some "senior" ones) need to be taught defensive programming and error handling for a whole new class of good reasons. It doesn't mean they're hopeless as programmers. Shoot, we learned the hard way. At least we can warn them. Well, Java happened.

When I learned to program, yeah, you wanted to be super careful about defensively programming. Checking everything: every input, every function call, etc. Because you never knew where an error would crop up and leave you hunting around with a debugger for hours.

But Java will tell you not only the line number where an error occurred but even *why* it failed. Run into a deadlock? No problem, just get a stack trace and it’ll tell you exactly which threads hold which locks. Heaven!

New programmers (and yeah, even some “senior” ones) need to be taught defensive programming and error handling for a whole new class of good reasons. It doesn’t mean they’re hopeless as programmers. Shoot, we learned the hard way. At least we can warn them.

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