Re: Two persons per product"

["Brad Jensen" <brad@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Leif Svalgaard wrote:
> >
> > From: Brad Jensen <brad@elstore.com>
> > > > The design is what comes before the source code. Some
people
> > > > don't have any design, they start writing code right away.
> > > > The execution of the design is writing the source code,
> > > > that is: transforming the design ideas into executable
reality.
> > >
> > > If you are a good programmer the design and the coding are
> > > interactive and synergistic. Any design that survives the
coding
> > > unscathed is a trivial design, it is really just ordering
form a
> > > menu.
> >
> > This may be true for small programs, but is false for large
> > projects (with, say, 500 programs).

Okay, for systems wwith 499 programs or less, it is true. I'll
give you the rest.

We aren't including report programs too, here, are we? That can
run up the number pretty quick.

> > The discussion does
> > not lead anywhere because most people are too emotional
> > about it.

Gee, I hadn't noticed, but now that you point it out it is
obvious.

> >Many smaller shops work in a way that does not
> > scale up (and most shops are happy about this, some even
> > proud of it).

Many programmers are taught in a way that does not scale down, and
they are happy with it.

I can see that if you are planning a system of 500 programs, you
want to make sure that none of them are too clever, because by the
time you are done writing this system, the kids who spent their
lives watching Bart Simpson will be the maintenance programmers on
it.

(Actually I am rather fond of old Bart,,,,)

But you are right about people defending their theories to the
point of absurdity as an emotional act, so I will cease and
desist. After I make my point one last time. There are bus driver
programmers and there are Goya programmers, and it's probably good
to make up and believe a lot of rules for the bus driver
programmers.

Particularly "Stay in your lane".

( I like bus drivers too.)

However if your coding is going to be by rote, and you are really
going to write 500 program and you want to enforce standards etc.,
use half the effort to write a program generator, and another 25
to create the bugless programs, and the last 25% send to me for
providing you with this wonderful idea.

By the way, this is what I did, but I needed up selling the
program generators over and over again, and never went back to big
application system projects, they just weren't fun any more.

(Go ahead, pounce - but unemotionally.)


Brad Jensen

PS I hope it is obvious that this was written with tongue firmly
in cheek, I don't mean to irritate anyone who misunderstand this.