Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Re: Comments on book review Message-ID: <3831@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Tue, 8-May-84 16:41:08 EDT Article-I.D.: utzoo.3831 Posted: Tue May 8 16:41:08 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 8-May-84 16:41:08 EDT References: <3231@fortune.UUCP>, <897@elsie.UUCP> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 24 While I agree with most of Mark Miller's comments (as anyone who saw my comments on the same issue should know), I have minor reservations about one thing: Of course, not all my programming is like this and different people have different techniques. How you proceed also depends on how well you know the language and how good your memory is (mine's bad). There probably is no such thing as the best programming technique, just the best for you personally. The one aspect of this statement that I'm a bit unhappy about is the implication (which may not have been there by intent) that it doesn't really matter what technique you use, so long as it suits you. This denies the possibility that there may be real differences in effectiveness between different techniques, over and above individual variation among the programmers using them. I've heard too many people say "well, everybody knows that is all just a matter of personal taste, so I'll do any way I damn well please and you have no right to object". Admitting the importance of personal factors does not imply admitting that they are the only important factors. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry