Re: [OT] Good Article on API Design
Re: [OT] Good Article on API Design
- Subject: Re: [OT] Good Article on API Design
- From: Chuck Hill <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 15:59:53 -0700
On Jul 9, 2007, at 2:21 PM, Michael Warner wrote:
I just read this article and found it to be very informative and
thought-providing.
Based on recent discussions about the need for documentation of
Wonder, etc. , I found the following
quote to be provocative:
"The worst person to write documentation is the implementer [me:
the author means the original creator of a method, framework or
API], and the worst time to write documentation is after
implementation."
I have to agree with that statement, though I am often guilty on both
counts. There was another one that I also thought was perhaps
relevant: "... concerns about backwards compatibility erode API's
over time: the API accumulates crud that, eventually, does more
damage than the good it ever did by remaining backwards compatible."
Chuck
On Jul 9, 2007, at 11:37 AM, Chuck Hill wrote:
This came out in the latest issue of ACM Queue. It is a very good
article on API design issues and mistakes. It is a bit long but I
think well worth reading:
http://acmqueue.com/rd.php?c.488
You can also get a free subscription to Queue. For a free
computer magazine, this one is surprising worth reading. There is
usually at least one article worth reading and the interviews are
interesting.
Chuck
--
Practical WebObjects - for developers who want to increase their
overall knowledge of WebObjects or who are trying to solve
specific problems.
http://www.global-village.net/products/practical_webobjects
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