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

[Preston Garrison]

Have we all forgotten all these asterisk developers are doing all this 
coding for free?  If i want to make my code messy, then I will do so.  
You should be thankful you even have asterisk to work with, and stop 
complaining about messy code.  Most of the developers have actual day 
jobs, and spending alot of time cleaning up and document their code 
would either take away from them, or the amount of time they spend 
adding new features to asterisk.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Preston Garrison
direct: 877-748-4142
fax: 310-774-3901
cell: 623-748-4140

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Giagnocavo <mgg-digium at atrevido.net>
To: asterisk-dev at lists.digium.com
Sent: Mon, 9 May 2005 09:51:56 -0600
Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Dev] [Rant] [long] - code style and quality

>>Steve,
>> the quote was not out of context. I supplied the entire paragraph it 
came

>>from, and the individual sentence that I replied with it.
>>You may disagree - that is your right.
>>
>>
>Real code gets messy. It only ends up not being messy if you fight 
hard
>against the natural trend. You cut away the paragraph where I 
considered
>the trade offs, leaving a very different impression than my full 
message.

So, can we trim that down to "real code requires work"?

I don't why you think you're making a point about having to "fight 
hard".
Yea, being a good developer is hard. In programming, good devs from bad 
devs
are separated by an order of magnitude at least. I don't think this is 
news
to anyone. So if everyone knows that "real code is messy unless we do
something about it", why do you jump on someone who encourages doing
something?

>>I count the asterisk project as real code - which is messy.
>>
>Do you have the slightest idea how it came to be? In 1999 there were a
>number of free telephony projects getting off the ground. Most were 
pure
<snip>
>Asterisk software. Most of the other PSTN oriented projects grew out 
of
>religious cults. The "pure Java is the way, the truth and the light"
>cult. The "design is everything" cult. The "polish is paramount" cult.
>There was a project to do soft modems for FAX that for a couple of 
years
>was supposed to be "developing ways to interconnect DSP modules", but
>projects survived - for example, there is an ISDN PABX still around.
>Only Asterisk thrived.
>
>So, all the nice tidy projects proved worthless, and the one you
>criticise is usefully serving the needs of thousands of people. 
Everyone
>knows its messy. Anyone who points out that obvious fact in a two page
>tome is being a PITA. However, where do your priorities lie? Style or
>content?

And the point was? Luigi was completely right to point out problems in
coding style. I didn't hear him say "Asterisk sucks" or "its not 
useful".
Pointing out that having, say, a 700-line switch statement is a bad 
idea is
constructive criticism. Perhaps some people should learn the different
between negative and positive. The OP was quite in the latter.

-Michael


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