Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu!hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu
From: smsmith@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: MEL - A *Real* Programmer
Keywords: Real Programmer, Hacker
Message-ID: <6089@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 24 Oct 90 19:46:39 GMT
References: <7380.271c3129@ccvax.ucd.ie>
 <1990Oct23.235720.16178@nas.nasa.gov>
Sender: news@nisca.ircc.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University (IRCC)
Lines: 29

In article <1990Oct23.235720.16178@nas.nasa.gov> 
smithwik@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (R. Michael Smithwick -- FSN) writes:
>
>There is nothing to be proud of when one writes code so very cryptic
>someone else has to waste 2 weeks of company time to figure out a how a 
>loop exits.
>
>One of the best lessons I learned in school was in my first Fortran
>class....[deletion] 

>                  ... The instructor went on,
>"don't ever write code like this! Considering the fact that none of you
>were able to figure out what it did demonstrates that it is very
>poor code".
>
>In otherwords, be clever when you have to, not just to show off.

Exactly.  Fortunately as a new student to programming I have a very
good instructor who emphasizes this very thing.  In the first weeks
of class he has already emphasized portability and threatened to
anonymously distribute each of our own programs to the rest of the
class just to see if WE can be easily deciphered by our own colleagues.


S. "Stevie" Smith \  +  /
<smsmith@hpuxa.   \+++++/    " #*&<-[89s]*(k#$@-_=//a2$]'+=.(2_&*%>,,@
 ircc.ohio-state. \  +  /      {7%*@,..":27g)-=,#*:.#,/6&1*.4-,l@#9:-)  "
 edu>             \  +  / 
 BTW, WYSInaWYG   \  +  /                              --witty.saying.ARC