Comments on: Stop Apologizing for Your Code http://www.codelord.net/2010/05/13/stop-apologizing-for-your-code/ A place a coder rants at... Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:32:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Eran Harel http://www.codelord.net/2010/05/13/stop-apologizing-for-your-code/#comment-475 Eran Harel Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:13:46 +0000 http://www.codelord.net/?p=179#comment-475 I've heard this "Never mind how ugly the code is" sentence way too many times in the past. I even managed to change some of these dudes who said it. But some like to stay in their comfort zone, or call it in the job-secured fox-hole. It's damn hard to get these dudes going - the only way I know of is to keep being more successful then they are. Eventually they will break. And for those who won't... a good friend once told me: "if you were the leach that was clinging to the organization's back for the last 10 years, would you change?" I’ve heard this “Never mind how ugly the code is” sentence way too many times in the past. I even managed to change some of these dudes who said it. But some like to stay in their comfort zone, or call it in the job-secured fox-hole. It’s damn hard to get these dudes going – the only way I know of is to keep being more successful then they are. Eventually they will break.

And for those who won’t… a good friend once told me: “if you were the leach that was clinging to the organization’s back for the last 10 years, would you change?”

]]> By: Manoj Phatak http://www.codelord.net/2010/05/13/stop-apologizing-for-your-code/#comment-474 Manoj Phatak Fri, 21 May 2010 08:28:59 +0000 http://www.codelord.net/?p=179#comment-474 I agree. After I learnt TDDing; rarely I had to apologize for my code. For simple reasons: 1. When I write code; I do it 'just enough' to make a new test pass. If I don't do this, I make the design unduly complex. 2. If I think my code is not clean; I go & refactor it. In most cases why developers shy away from refactoring is they fear of breaking something that they don't know! TDD helps developers to get aggressive. However, I find the name somewhat misnomer. Tests really don't drive the development; they guide it. Drive comes from within programmer - his creativity. Tests make sure his creativity has a direction & gives him courage to refactor. There are examples like BubbleSort where tests drive you to the algorithm automatically, but that's not the case always. Also, TDD is not something that is confined only to software development. It has applications in every other field; but I wonder why they aren't much talked about. I have shared my thoughts here: http://manojphatak.blogspot.com/2009/11/tdd-and-science.html Your views welcome. I agree.

After I learnt TDDing; rarely I had to apologize for my code. For simple reasons:
1. When I write code; I do it ‘just enough’ to make a new test pass. If I don’t do this, I make the design unduly complex.
2. If I think my code is not clean; I go & refactor it. In most cases why developers shy away from refactoring is they fear of breaking something that they don’t know! TDD helps developers to get aggressive.

However, I find the name somewhat misnomer. Tests really don’t drive the development; they guide it. Drive comes from within programmer – his creativity. Tests make sure his creativity has a direction & gives him courage to refactor. There are examples like BubbleSort where tests drive you to the algorithm automatically, but that’s not the case always.

Also, TDD is not something that is confined only to software development. It has applications in every other field; but I wonder why they aren’t much talked about.
I have shared my thoughts here:
http://manojphatak.blogspot.com/2009/11/tdd-and-science.html

Your views welcome.

]]> By: Juho Vepsäläinen http://www.codelord.net/2010/05/13/stop-apologizing-for-your-code/#comment-473 Juho Vepsäläinen Fri, 14 May 2010 05:00:43 +0000 http://www.codelord.net/?p=179#comment-473 Good post. In a way code reflects many things such as organization structure (see Conway's law, works vice versa), trust, personal values ie. If you don't trust your environment (other libs in this case) you are bound to code more defensively. On the other hand if there are no bounds, you are free to do pretty much whatever you want. It's interesting to see what having a few tests around does to your confidence. I know having tests pass doesn't mean the code is correct. Even still, it's cool to see that if I modified something (refactored even), it still ought to be pretty ok. Of course sometimes having bad tests makes it twice as worse. You have to worry about both the code ~and~ tests. It's not always easy to test the right things. I think this is one of the biggest hurdles especially for beginning testers. :) Good post.

In a way code reflects many things such as organization structure (see Conway’s law, works vice versa), trust, personal values ie.

If you don’t trust your environment (other libs in this case) you are bound to code more defensively. On the other hand if there are no bounds, you are free to do pretty much whatever you want.

It’s interesting to see what having a few tests around does to your confidence. I know having tests pass doesn’t mean the code is correct. Even still, it’s cool to see that if I modified something (refactored even), it still ought to be pretty ok.

Of course sometimes having bad tests makes it twice as worse. You have to worry about both the code ~and~ tests. It’s not always easy to test the right things. I think this is one of the biggest hurdles especially for beginning testers. :)

]]>