>Code Reuse >-- How to make a reusable component to provide more >value to customers? > >Hope the topic is not OT. I'm not sure if Dr. Carma >McClure's claim that "software reuse is the best >answer to the decade-old software crisis" >is all that accurate. But I'm a firm believer in code >reuse, probably it's a common practice by many >developers, and I'd like to do better in this area. >The intention of this posting is to seek wisdom and >ideas. > >It's necessary to revisit some key benefits of code >reuse to put the subject matter into perspective >without going into detail: > >* Increased developers' productivity by reducing >development time; >* Increased software quality (premise: reusable >components are reliable and of good quality); >* Reduced cost; >* Improved software interoperability; >* conducive to maintenance and future enhancements > >Despite all these great benefits code reuse faces a >few formidable challenges. Chief among them, IMHO, >Context Prediction. Allow me to use a specific case >to demonstrate the challenge, SureFire, a reusable >component, URL, >http://68.32.61.40/datadata/ddSearch.cfm. >This simple component lets one search for data against >any user table of a given database >(MS SQL Server -based in this case). > >Say, in one environment/context, the business may not >want certain table or tables to be >accessable/searchable by the application. Easy >solution, the component has a mechnism to handle this >situation and the component configuration is easy >as well. Now, in another environment, the business >does not want data in certain columns to >be viewed by the application users. Again, the >component has a little nice mechnism to handle that. >OK, now, the third business environment's given >database has all this cryptic column names like >fn, ln for firstName and lastName respectively, again, >no problem, the component can address >the semantic problem adequately. > >Now, the real challenge, it seems to me, is the >enormous difficulty of adapting to many different >usage contexts (failure to anticipate possible usage >context(s)). How could a developer possibly do better >in this area? Let's use the particular case when >referencing concept(s). > >BTW, I read a bit on domain analysis by SEI, though >informative, I can't extract practical >value or to be more accurate, apply it to this case. > >Aother less important thing, can we consider the above >mechnisms as "adaptable architecture"? > >Your thoughts and ideas would be appreciated. > >Li, Chunshen (Don) >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >
I'd like to add, as a token of appreciation, I intend to give away this component. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=4 FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. http://www.cfhosting.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4
