Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!verifone!c_grant_c1
From: c_grant_c1@verifone.com
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: MEL - A *Real* Programmer
Message-ID: <2443.2727553d@verifone.com>
Date: 26 Oct 90 08:55:17 GMT
References: <7380.271c3129@ccvax.ucd.ie> <1990Oct23.235720.16178@nas.nasa.gov>
Organization: VeriFone Inc., Honolulu HI
Lines: 66

In article <1990Oct23.235720.16178@nas.nasa.gov>, smithwik@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (R. Michael Smithwick -- FSN) writes:
> In article <7380.271c3129@ccvax.ucd.ie> b_haughey@ccvax.ucd.ie (Brian J Haughey) writes:
>>TEXTS   Node: Mel       Previous: Top           Up: Top
>>
>>         -- Source: usenet: utastro!nather, May 21, 1983.
>>
>>[I got this version from AIDA, a DEC-2060, in 1983 - b_haughey@ccvax.ucd.ie]
>>
>>
>>     A recent article devoted to the *macho* side of programming
>>     made the bald and unvarnished statement:
>>
>>                Real Programmers write in Fortran.
>>
> [deleted 250 lines of an admittedly great story about "Mel",
> the wonder-coder]
> 
> While it is easy to call Mel a genius as a result of this story, I'm
> not too sure he could be called a "real programmer" by todays standards.
> A very clever programmer, yes, but if he were to try his cutsie hacks in
> production code (unless it really needed it) he would be bounced from the
> companys payroll in nothing flat.
> 
> 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. Our teacher put a code fragment up on the board and asked us what
> it did. All 30 of us pondered it for a few minutes unable to decipher the
> intricacies of the routine. Finally our teacher explained that it simply
> cleared out an array. Suddenly the lights went on! "Of course!" we thought
> in unison, "why, how remarkably clever!". The instructor said "I bet you
> thought that this was clever". We all nodded hoping that one day we could
> all be clever enough ourselves to write like that. 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.
> 
> So whenever I find myself writing a cryptic routine, I think of George,
> and wonder if he would use it as an example in his class. If the answer
> is yes, I rewrite it.
> 
> 
>                                        >> mike smithwick <<
> 
> Any opinions are my own since nobody else would ever want them.
> 
> "Colonize Cyberspace!"

I think that you are possibly missing the point about the Real Programmers 
(tm) thread.  A Real Programmer doesn't care if nobody else can read his
code.  Writing readable code is almost as bad as commenting your code.  
Remember, users should be grateful they get anything at all.  If it works, 
ought to be good enough.  After all, what would be the challenge writing code 
if it's so simple minded any feeb could understand it.  Mind you, I write code
for a living also but I'm not a Real Programmer in that sense.  But thinking
about the image of the Real Programmer in previous messages, I'm not sure
that's all bad.

                                                Grant China

Disclaimer:  All opinions above are mine.  If my company wants them too then
             they'd better give me a raise!