Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site python.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!python!michael From: michael@python.UUCP (M. Cain) Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Re: more about programming style Message-ID: <151@python.UUCP> Date: Thu, 11-Jul-85 09:14:39 EDT Article-I.D.: python.151 Posted: Thu Jul 11 09:14:39 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 07:48:14 EDT References: <11457@brl-tgr.ARPA> Organization: Bell Communications Research Lines: 19 > Ok, now let's say I > have a problem that I want solved by a programmer. The programmer comes > back to me with a program which doesn't do quite what I wanted. Now > from the comments it looks like the program should work right. The > problem is in the code. Now the programmer goes off and tries to fix > it, thinking he knows exactly what I want. But when he comes back with > the revised program, it still doesn't do what I wanted. On a slight tangent (the above was written in regard to the use of language idioms and readibility), why doesn't the program do quite what was wanted? Were the requirements wrong? Incomplete? Does the programmer just do sloppy work? In a way, I am reminded of the old answer to the question "When will the programmers deliver code on time and within budget?" -- when the requirements are complete and don't change midway through the project! Michael Cain Bell Communications Research ..!bellcore!python!michael