I think Rakesh is on to something here. There is a LOT of disagreement around best practices.
However, I think within an organization you can tame the issues if you set the required code standards and follow them religiously. Code reviews and Design reviews, though, are also really important if the standards are to have any meaning. I've thought a great deal about this, and I think we have to look outside CS to understand that others have dealt with complexity as well. An Airbus or Boeing pilot doesn't have to keep everything in his/her head. There are specific, short, and defined procedures for problems. Atul Gawande talks about the complexity of airline flying and surgical procedures in "The Checklist Manifesto". I'm thinking more and more about this. If computerized checklists guarantee communication and sequenced activities for the erection of a 35-story building, it could work for software projects as well. Given, of course, that all team members agree to code standards and allow design and code reviews. On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 8:49 AM, Rakesh <[email protected]> wrote: > as we have seen many times before, even in these forums, devs just > can't seem to decide what the right way is to do something and reserve > the right to change it. > > So, last week I was arguing against changing established Java idioms > (like getters/setters) and lo and behold someone disagreed. > > Robert Martin (of Clean Code fame) advocates that a software developer > who does not use TDD is unprofessional. Many disagreed, one of them > was Cedric Buerst (of TestNG fame). > > So with such divergent views, and the corresponding variation in > quality of developers, I don't see how we can improve matters. > > The original example about passwords could be tackled by having some > centralised standard behaviour specification, but thats got nothing to > do with coding day by day. > > Rakesh > > On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 1:07 PM, Edward Gabriel Moraru > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hello. > > > > Maybe some participation in Software Craftsmanship movement could help ? > > > http://groups.google.com/group/software_craftsmanship/browse_thread/thread/4f9ddc74260faa78?hl=en > > > > Edward. > > > > On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 1:38 PM, Graham Allan < > [email protected]> > > wrote: > >> > >> >I generate passwords using KeepassX -- by default that includes special > >> >characters. I gave up on that idea for websites. I can handle the > >> >rejection of a password, but I had more than one case where the > password > >> >was originally accepted, but then couldn't be used. In the most extreme > >> >case they actually send me the password back via automated email > >> >triggered by the "Forgot password" link, but trying to log in with it > >> >just told me that username or password must be wrong. > >> > > >> > Peter > >> > >> To me, the way that websites use slightly different, but tediously > >> enforced > >> rules, and that they all have to take on the burden for password > storage, > >> is > >> really detrimental to security. I wonder if a greater push for everyday > >> websites to use OpenID would counter the inconsistent and occasionally > >> incompetent attempts to 'do' usernames and passwords correctly. > Hopefully > >> any > >> security experts here could correct me if I'm wrong. > >> > >> ~ Graham > >> > >> -- > >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups > >> "The Java Posse" group. > >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> [email protected]<javaposse%[email protected]> > . > >> For more options, visit this group at > >> http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. > >> > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > "The Java Posse" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected]<javaposse%[email protected]> > . > > For more options, visit this group at > > http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Java Posse" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<javaposse%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.
