code | iface thoughts

Dec 31, 2007

Following Up On Giving Away Of Code

My effort to explain why giving away your code is not dangerous evoked a lot of response. I think the analogy there partly worked but also fell in the classic analogy trap. An analogy can be used to highlight only certain aspects, but you are using one thing to explain another. [Continue]

Dec 24, 2007

What Is Good Code?

Reginald Braithwaite is in search of what really matters in good code. I am sure many programmers are in the pursuit, so take time to read the entire piece. Another view, the one I am promoting here, is that it isn’t about removing symbols, it’s about communicating something about the underlying relationships. [Continue]

Dec 19, 2007

Code Has Two Customers

Jeff Atwood asserts that it is important to get the public interfaces right before worrying about how the code looks. Somehow I got a feeling that quality of the code and its working were being posed against each other. They need not be. [Continue]

Dec 14, 2007

Does Agile Development Make Changes Cheaper?

Some of the reactions to my post on changes being expensive hinted and some explicitly said that Agile Development and Test Driven Development can make changes cheaper. I think they can help you to make the changes easier, but they can neither reduce impact nor cost of the change. Let me elaborate. [Continue]

Dec 7, 2007

Changes Are Expensive, Damn Expensive

Unfortunately lot of business people do not understand this, nor do they believe this when others tell them so. Changes are inevitable and important for growth, but even the smallest change has the potential to cause the biggest havoc in your system. Why? [Continue]

Dec 2, 2007

Making Something Important Available Easily

That is what has boosted innovation and enhanced productivity. Else you spend a lot of your time and effort in acquiring them. If you are a cook, easy availability of vegetables and other raw materials lets you spend more time on your cooking and serving people. [Continue]

Dec 1, 2007

Why Giving Away Your Code Is Not Dangerous

One of the things that the beginners learn is that coding is important, and that code is an important artifact. Which makes it difficult to convince them why giving away code is not dangerous. The philosophy of open source is usually met with raised eyebrows and skepticism in classrooms, especially if they have come to read how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs built companies and made money. [Continue]

Jun 1, 2007

The Best Code

Jeff Atwood triggers another thought process about what is the best code. Usually these things are not discussed explicitly, you will always find them embedded in a developer’s preferences, programming style or philosophy. Whenever they are discussed, it is more in relative terms, never absolutely. [Continue]