Comments on: Complexity to Fix Complexity http://theta.codesimplicity.com/archives/8 Scientology and Computer Programming Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:02:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Max Kanat-Alexander http://theta.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-9 Max Kanat-Alexander Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:28:16 +0000 http://scientology.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-9 Hahahaha, yeah, you're telling me! :-) That's what I've spent the last three years fixing in <a href="http://www.bugzilla.org/" rel="nofollow">Bugzilla</a>! :-) -Max Hahahaha, yeah, you’re telling me! :-) That’s what I’ve spent the last three years fixing in Bugzilla! :-)

-Max

]]> By: Grahame http://theta.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-7 Grahame Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:59:29 +0000 http://scientology.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-7 You are so right! I've seen this cycle of fixing problems by introducing new problems and then wondering why the program is a piece of garbage. It makes the code hard to maintain and almost impossible to add new features to. You are so right!

I’ve seen this cycle of fixing problems by introducing new problems and then wondering why the program is a piece of garbage. It makes the code hard to maintain and almost impossible to add new features to.

]]> By: Max Kanat-Alexander http://theta.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-5 Max Kanat-Alexander Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:40:31 +0000 http://scientology.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-5 Hey Brad! Yeah, I totally agree with everything you said there. :-) -Max Hey Brad! Yeah, I totally agree with everything you said there. :-)

-Max

]]> By: Brad Mathews http://theta.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-2 Brad Mathews Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:51:07 +0000 http://scientology.codesimplicity.com/archives/8#comment-2 Max, I have total reality on your observations here. Elevating the "hack" or "quick fix" to the role of error finishes a shift in reality for me that has been waiting to happen for a while. Thanks. All of us programmers know that at some point software of any size will need to be completely scrapped and re-written. I have always said this was due to the foundation no longer supporting the added stories of the latest remodel. While this is still true, not introducing errors as you add on will let the program grow taller before the wrecking ball need to be called in. Also, more intelligence and foresight when designing the software to begin with can also forestall this. But I believe the arbitraries we introduce are much more important than I previously recognized. Of course, a cure for featureitis would also help as added features can act as arbitraries as well. Many programs grow well beyond their original purpose or try to be everything to everyone. - Brad Max,

I have total reality on your observations here. Elevating the “hack” or “quick fix” to the role of error finishes a shift in reality for me that has been waiting to happen for a while. Thanks.

All of us programmers know that at some point software of any size will need to be completely scrapped and re-written. I have always said this was due to the foundation no longer supporting the added stories of the latest remodel. While this is still true, not introducing errors as you add on will let the program grow taller before the wrecking ball need to be called in. Also, more intelligence and foresight when designing the software to begin with can also forestall this. But I believe the arbitraries we introduce are much more important than I previously recognized.

Of course, a cure for featureitis would also help as added features can act as arbitraries as well. Many programs grow well beyond their original purpose or try to be everything to everyone.

- Brad

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