RE: [OT] How to be a real programmer
RE: [OT] How to be a real programmer
- Subject: RE: [OT] How to be a real programmer
- From: "Crichlow, Eric" <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:31:02 -0500
> Absolutely agreed a lot of developers need to learn that there's
> more to coding that a text editor, a compiler and a debugger.
Ummm... seems to me that you aren't agreeing at all. While I do think
that the other development tools are great, and can be very useful, my main
point is that there's absolutely nothing wrong with a developer who still
just chooses to just use a text editor, compiler and debugger.
> IMNSHO - Bullcrap! You should start with what the customer (be they
> the user of your shareware program or a paying corporate customer),
Given my background, my first, and primary customer, was usually ME. I
wrote things I wanted to use. I designed them and coded them the way I
thought they should work, and then I polished them up a bit and made them
publicly available for free for other people who might also find them
useful.
I only have one shareware app out for the Mac. I wrote it for my wife.
She was my customer. I took her input, added it to my own, and designed the
app. I later released it, and I take the suggestions of others into
consideration, but we're still the primary customers for the app, since I
now use it myself.
> from that design the program properly and then start to code... If
> you fit the design to what the customer actually needs then you
> shouldn't get spaghetti out.
There's a difference between spaghetti code and code to handle a bunch
of different cases because design constraints dictated that such cases
exist.
> Rubbish - it is my right as a computer user to expect the computer
> to do what I tell it to how I tell it to do it. A computer is after
> all a tool. Your design should be flexible enough to accommodate all
> users.
I would never deny you your right to your expectations and choosing what
apps you want to use. And yours is one valid opinion of how apps should be
designed.
I speak as a user as well as a programmer. And my view is that I'm not,
nor should I be, so self-centered as to think that every feature of every
app (or OS) should work exactly the way that I think it should. And I don't
have a very high opinion of people (users) who are so self-absorbed.
Maybe I think the shortcut for "paste" should be Apple-P, because it's
easier to remember. That doesn't mean app writers should make their hotkeys
user-definable just to suit me. If I want to use paste, then I can learn to
remember Apple-V. And yet there are spoiled, selfish users who would have it
otherwise.
> Agreed - but remember that nit-picks are usually what will make your
> application stand above the rest.
True. If I want to get the most users, or have the most positive reviews
or make the most possible money, then yes, I have to cater to users, even
when I think they're being self-absorbed and ridiculous.
> Actually - you should be striving for this... If not, you should be
> striving for the program just gracefully recovering from these crazy
> situations without presenting any error at all.
True.
...Eric...
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Cocoa-dev mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden