One of the enduring problems of the software trade is determining what is the right way to solve the problem at hand. Often we are given too little guidance in what the client ultimately thinks is right. If you are solving your own problem I surely hope you know what is right.

Sometimes we seem to have to coax from the client what right really means to him. Is it quick delivery of code, rigorous correctness, fast execution, parsimonious resource use, extensibility, adherence to organizational standards, reuse of existing components, etc. We can influence what is right as well. Some of the earliest work studying the work of programming determined that programmers could successfully direct their solutions to concentrate on a desired rightness metric (Gerald M Weinburg, "The Psychology of Computer Programming, 1971").

As professionals, we are paid to do what is right. We are often given wide latitude in using our judgment to determine what is right in the context of the problem at hand and the social context of the origination. We can professionally differ with management's concept of rightness yet conform to it; we are accepting pay for doing so after all.

It takes time to find modules and learn to apply them. It takes time to reinvent the wheel. Both approaches can build my skills as an individual. Most often the right thing to do is to spend my time using and expanding the tools available in my community.

It is easy to waste time gilding lilies, but often both entertaining and enlightening. It can be fun to do things quick and dirty. The rub is in knowing what is "right" for the case at hand. I have been at it for decades now and still make wrong choices, hopefully a lot less frequently now.

Bob

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