Hear hear. Clarity should win over compactness every time, IMHO. (Even
in Perl.)
However, compactness can sometimes add to clarity, simply because you don't have to read so much code to find out what's going on.
In my own coding I like one idea per line, and one comment every 5-10
lines on average.
I only comment code that's difficult to understand. I try never to write code that's difficult to understand.
///ark
On May 29, 2008, at 3:03 PM, Dave Bass wrote:
Dave Bass wrote:
Mark Wilden wrote:
With top-down, you start with your ultimate objective, and
stop when you've gone down far enough.But you never really understand what you're doing; you end up learning a
set of rules and prescriptions instead of basic principles. Do this and
it works; do that and it doesn't.Of course this could get very philosophical. What do I mean by "really",
"understand" and "basic principles"?You can certainly drive a car without knowing what goes on inside the
engine. Millions do. But some of us (especially those from an
engineering background) like to know how it works, at least in outline.
So true! In the end, the one that understands more of what is going on
will solve the really tough problems where the one that plunks around
until he muddles there cannot. Still, there is a great deal of effort
required in the learning process.
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is why so few people do
it." - Henry Ford
You could learn enough to do what you want to do and save delving for
when delving is required. If there is another notion to consider it is
that it should be fun. If it is not fun for you then you will never get
far. Programming takes far too much brain power to do it without joy.
Certain projects and parts will be joyless but that is true for
everything. If you cannot find joy in it, then do something else. Go
to the strata where things are fun and stay there until necessity drives
you out but return ASAP! 
--
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/\.
Lloyd,
So true! In the end, the one that understands more of what is going on
will solve the really tough problems where the one that plunks around
until he muddles there cannot. Still, there is a great deal of effort
required in the learning process."Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is why so few people do
it." - Henry FordYou could learn enough to do what you want to do and save delving for
when delving is required. If there is another notion to consider it is
that it should be fun. If it is not fun for you then you will never get
far. Programming takes far too much brain power to do it without joy.
Certain projects and parts will be joyless but that is true for
everything. If you cannot find joy in it, then do something else. Go
to the strata where things are fun and stay there until necessity drives
you out but return ASAP!
Thank you for this post. I will also keep it in mind.
Cheers,
Maurice
