[Asterisk-Dev] [Rant] [long] - code style and quality

[Steve Underwood]

Andrew Kohlsmith wrote:

>On May 7, 2005 08:24 am, Steve Underwood wrote:
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>>Whine about a real problem - the bug tracker has become useless. I find
>>the original post truly obnoxious. It is postings like that which often
>>want to make me give up writing free software. I don't know the guy's
>>background, be he writes like someone who is somewhere in the middle of
>>the C 101 course, and wants to tell the world what he found. People who
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>Yes I agree it comes across as a very green post, and you have every right to 
>complain; I was just trying to understand the "well the fix it, but there's 
>nowhere to put the patches" part of it.
>
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>>have actually produced something complex and useful seldom write that
>>way. They know real code gets messy as time goes on. Cleaning it up is
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>This too is very correct; without a LOT of work code does age and it can age 
>very quickly without vigilance.  Like documentation, tidy code is not high on 
>the priority list for most free software developers.  
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I find it interesting you specifically say "free software developers". 
Free software is usually much cleaner than commercial code. Free 
developer have pride driving them to do things. Commercial development 
stops the moment the cash does.

>>not only time consuming, it risks breaking proven code in subtle ways. I
>>often go through major cleanups in my own code, and accept the suffering
>>it causes re-debugging things that used to work. That is me causing me
>>problems. That's my right. People have no right to even suggest others
>>should tolerate similar suffering.
>>    
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>Agreed again; I have been through similar "but I didn't change the logic!" bug 
>hunts, usually with the help of an ICE (I'm an embedded guy).  I diagree with 
>your assertion that he's got no right to suggest improvements.  People can 
>and should suggest whatever they want.  It's a free and open development 
>model.  They also have the right to submit patches and a case for the 
>acceptance of those patches.  The greenhorns get experience through exposure 
>to "real code" and "the real world" -- denying them that is not good.
>
>  
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>>We don't need beginners lessons in coding. Some of us finished those 30
>>odd years ago. We need good ideas, and good (that means definitely
>>reliable, and hopfully pretty and easy to read) code from as many people
>>as possible.
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>Ideas are cheap, but sometimes those with the idea and those with the skills 
>to implement the idea are not the same person; open and free discussion is 
>important.
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Real ideas are very precious things. Are you confusing them with empty talk?

>>Good people don't drink alcohol.
>>    
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>Guess I'm not a good person then...  Oh well.
>  
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Repent, sinner. :-)

Regards,
Steve