A good CODER must go beyond a good CODE be fast when needed. That's MHO, and It gets clear when we compare the number of lines we use to express ourselves.
Leandro Ferreira Sent from BrasÃlia, Brazilian Federal District, Brazil On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 18:17, Paul Andrews <p...@ipauland.com> wrote: > Dave Watts wrote: > >> snip >> It really depends on the language. Since I'm moving (more or less) >> from Java to AS3, more or less, I'm usually using explicit expressions >> because that's what people do in Java. On the other hand, in the >> ColdFusion code I've written, I usually use implicit Boolean >> evaluation. >> >> > I don't think writing "good" code is related to languages, despite the > different constructs available between them. I think good coding style is > based on simple principles, and brevity or speed of coding is not included. > > Short coding constructs may be perceived as elegant and aid coding speed, > but that wholly misses the point - coding isn't a race nor is optimising the > number of bytes in the source code. Showing a deep knowledge of a software > language through use of the language in ways that are not so clear to mere > mortals less familiar with the language, isn't good. It is rarely a good > idea to optimise code by using a faster programming construct that makes the > intention of the code less clear. > > Good coding should be clear - even for those less familiar with the > language. Truncated coding constructs may be efficient and even elegant, but > will they be easily understandable by someone else (or even the same person > much later)? Code minimalism can hide the true intention of the code and > introduce unintended behaviour when mistakes are made. When code is > expansive (verbose even) the intention of the code is clear. When someone > relies on some language behaviour for handling null values, the reader may > be left wondering whether the original developer really intended that the > code should handle nulls in this way, or is it some accidental happenstance > of using that construct? Are nulls really relevant here in this code snippet > or not. Testing specifically for nulls is explicit and unambiguous. > > Maintainability - truncated constructs can sometimes mean that changes for > updates mean undoing the "efficient" constructs that performed well for > specific case they were coded for, but will have to be ditched completely > for the more complicated case, leaving the updater to unwind the intention > of the shorter construct and translate that to the wider case. > > As far as "fast" coding goes, everybody likes a helpful ide or editor, but > really fast coders really aren't team coders and the "need for speed" is > less important than the need for clarity. I'm not a fast coder. Sometimes I > wish I was an even slower coder, because then I'd realise I could code > things rather better than going rushing in to get things done. > > I once worked with a guy who had a clear desk and often sat reading the > newspaper. It did attract some critical comment, but that guy had the right > idea. Before he started coding he spent a lot of time on the design, getting > that right. A faster code editor or fancy programming wouldn't have made him > a better developer. He spent most of his time getting it right before his > hands hit the keyboard. He was the best developer I ever met. > > So, in my insignificant opinion - brevity == BAD, fast coding ==BAD. > > Paul > > > Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software >> http://www.figleaf.com/ >> >> Fig Leaf Software provides the highest caliber vendor-authorized >> instruction at our training centers in Washington DC, Atlanta, >> Chicago, Baltimore, Northern Virginia, or on-site at your location. >> Visit http://training.figleaf.com/ for more information! >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Flashcoders mailing list >> Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com >> http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders >> >> > _______________________________________________ > Flashcoders mailing list > Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com > http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders > _______________________________________________ Flashcoders mailing list Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders
