Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cimshop!davidm From: cimshop!davidm@uunet.UU.NET (David S. Masterson) Newsgroups: comp.software-eng Subject: Re: Development vs Engineering Message-ID: Date: 16 Oct 90 21:28:27 GMT References: <32087@athertn.Atherton.COM> <32084@athertn.Atherton.COM> <27696@bellcore.bellcore.com> <2450009@hpfcmgw.HP.COM> <84754@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <5682@stpstn.UUCP> <32090@athertn.Atherton.COM> Sender: davidm@cimshop.UUCP Distribution: comp Organization: Consilium Inc., Mountain View, California. Lines: 36 In-reply-to: mcgregor@hemlock.Atherton.COM's message of 15 Oct 90 23:18:55 GMT In article <32090@athertn.Atherton.COM> mcgregor@hemlock.Atherton.COM (Scott McGregor) writes: Main points: * People have always reused software (generally their own!)--often by copying in the editor. Wellll, I get the point (and have seen it *a lot* around here), but, with respect to object-orientation, it would seem that copied code is not the form of reusable code we want to achieve. Truly reusable objects are not changed in their reuse (and are, therefore, saleable), they are just made part of a new implementation through some sort of in-direction mechanism. * Granularity matters. High-level functionality (shrinkwrapped software) and low level (a few related lines of code) might be stable states--in between levels (subroutines) may not be stable. Exactly my point. The same statement of granularity can be applied to high-level and low-level *objects*. Might we not also have the same problem with the in-between objects? Or don't people think the in-between levels are worth worrying about? * Expectations and flexibility of the customer and of the developer affect the equilibrium solutions. I think Brad Cox's idea, though, is to move the developer up closer to the customer. To do this, though, requires a sound base to develop on -- which falls back on the question of granularity (move the low-level up towards the in-between level). -- ==================================================================== David Masterson Consilium, Inc. uunet!cimshop!davidm Mtn. View, CA 94043 ==================================================================== "If someone thinks they know what I said, then I didn't say it!"