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Re: [ox-en] Re: Software as society (was: Re: Documentation Standards was Re: [ox-en] UserLinux)



Per wrote:
On 12 Dec 2003, Rich Walker wrote:
Why then doesn't someone just write one implementation and everyone
else use that implementation instead of duplicating the time &
effort, especially when debugging takes 50% of production cost?

Because they're idiots.

This may have been an overstatement on my part...


Trying to get programmers to even look at the list of available
libraries is like trying to nail shit to a wall - futile, messy, and
leaving you with a really bad smell.
...
Therefore in order to improve the quality of software, our principal
aim must be to encourage reuse. Anything doing so is good. Anything
preventing so is bad.

Actually, a good case can be made that reuse is often _not_ a good idea.
See eg http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000007.html

As an example, in the Freeciv project, we have consistently avoided
external dependencies and reinvented the wheel instead of throwing in huge
chunks of code from other projects. This has kept the project highly
portable, easy to compile and the source code clean. The costs are
obvious, but the cost is sometimes worth the price.

Your call to make.

From my particular perspective, anything available for Debian/testing
can be regarded as "already on the machine", and the benefits to be
gained by leveraging other people's debugging of their code and
improvements of it are pretty substantial.

cheers, Rich.


-- 
rich walker | technical person | Shadow Robot Company | rw shadow.org.uk
front-of-tshirt space to let     251 Liverpool Road   |
                                 London  N1 1LX       | +UK 20 7700 2487
_______________________
http://www.oekonux.org/



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