in reply to Re: How do you critique another person's code?
in thread How do you critique another person's code?

Says runrig:
"Style" IMHO means whether I use 2 or 4 space indentation, whether or not I cuddle my else's, etc.
Well, it didn't always mean that. For example, if you look at Programming Style: Examples and Counterexamples by Brian Kernighan and P.J. Plaugher, you'll find that it's concerned with the sort of issues that Rhose raises, and not with trivial matters like indentation or brace placement.

I think it's really unfortunate that the programming community's discussions of programming style have been sidetracked into meaningless arguments about indentation, and I'd like to see the useful term 'style' applied to more substantive issues.

--
Mark Dominus
Perl Paraphernalia

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Re: (Style is more than formatting) - How do you critique another person's code?
by buzzcutbuddha (Chaplain) on Dec 20, 2001 at 23:13 UTC
    Style is always more than formatting.

    Look at 'Code Complete', a weighty tome all about formatting that covers a lot more ground than just where to put braces and the merits of tabs over spaces.

    Beyond that look at something like the 'Chicago Style Manual for Writers'. It also deals with style and is more than just formatting. It addresses passive sentences vs. active sentences, word order, proper grammar, etc.

    The array slices the unnamed programmer was using are bad Perl grammar, as egregious as "That's something I ain't puttin' up with" in the English language. Let's all say it together: 'Style is NOT formatting.'

    Ok, I'll relinquish the soap box now.
[reply]
      runrig stammers: "Style...is...NOT...formatting"

      There, I said it. But it does include formatting to some degree, and the 'etc.' that I listed implicitly includes all the other stuff :)

[reply]
        Sure, how about we change it to say: Style is NOT JUST formatting. :)
[reply]

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