Two examples where I am glad that I did not just write the code several years ago.
http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Essays/Sudoku http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Essays/Queens%20and%20Knights ----- Original Message ----- From: Matthew Brand <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 15:45 Subject: Re: [Jchat] Worthwhile advice To: Chat forum <[email protected]> > Literate programming sounds like a good idea to me in theory, > but in > practice it looks like it takes as much time to do the literate > programmingbit as it takes to just do the programming bit. > In theory I would like to do it, but I suspect that if I started > trying to > do it, then for the first couple of hours I would bother to do it > diligently, then after that I would not bother so much. > > I think most people are probably as lazy as I am. If not lazy, > then at least > they have deadlines which would get in the way of the diligent > "Literating"of their code. > > It seems good in theory, but in practice it is probably true that > nobody is auteristic, or dare I say autistic, enough to keep it > up. How many > large programs/organisations use/enforce Literate Programming anyway? > > With hindsight we might all wish that we had documented our code > better from > the outset, but practical realities mean that most of us are > just happy to > get something working and state what the input and output should > look like > before moving onto the next task. > 2009/9/22 Raul Miller <[email protected]> > > > My problem with literate programming is finding the code. > > ("Literate code" usually gets buried in text, and finding it > > can be frustrating.) > > > > And, sometimes, my problem with literate programming is > > finding the purpose of the code. (Literate programming does > > not guarantee good technical writing.) > > > > Basically... having a lot of comments is not at all the same as > > having good comments. > > > > What I want to know, when I am dealing with code, is: > > > > What does the code get used for? > > > > What data is in the domain of the code? > > > > How do the results look? > > > > Other than that, and having good names for things, comments > > usually just get in my way. > > > > (Of course, knowing when things changed and who made the > > change can be useful when dealing with problems, but that > > really belongs in source control and not in the code itself.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
