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From: jmi@devsim.mdcbbs.com (JM Ivler - MDC - Douglas Aircraft Co. Long Beach CA.)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: discarding prototypes
Message-ID: <440.253dce97@devsim.mdcbbs.com>
Date: 19 Oct 89 13:39:35 GMT
References: <1142@svx.SV.DG.COM> <34399@regenmeister.uucp> <5296@eos.UUCP> <14081@well.UUCP> <1989Oct19.021306.7336@ico.isc.com>
Organization: McDonnell Douglas M&E, Cypress CA
Lines: 40

In article <1989Oct19.021306.7336@ico.isc.com>, rcd@ico.isc.com (Dick Dunn) writes:
> In article <14081@well.UUCP>, shf@well.UUCP (Stuart H. Ferguson) writes:
> 
> That's why I'd say throw it out as a matter of principle.  EVERY prototype
> should get tossed.  (Then you can sneak in when nobody's looking and
> scavenge the pieces you can use in the real thing...:-)
> 
> -- 
> Dick Dunn     rcd@ico.isc.com    uucp: {ncar,nbires}!ico!rcd     (303)449-2870
>    ...No DOS.  UNIX.


Hate to disagree, but...

We have developed a library of "tools and tricks" that allows us to create
prototype stubs and keep them around, not only for ourselves, but for others to
share with. Examples of how this has been benificial (and therefore saved the
company money) is a simple routine that accessed a logical value to determine
what callable editor should be used from within a program was prototyped for
one process. The section of code that dealt with the logical symbol has now
appeared in two other prototypes and the callable editor functionality will be
used to allow users entering in formatted reports to have the entire report
come up in the LSE (a DEC layered product) editor with a predefined template.

Not bad for a simple piece of throwaway code. Never throw away the work. Put it
in a library where others can view it and learn from it. This is not school
where you get a lower grade from using things in others work. This is the real
world, where the dollars and cents do make a difference.

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      Toolsmith (n) - a specialist in the manufacture of support software