RE: Code versus Config

You are setting yourself up for a fall by immediately limiting the lifespan of your script. It has come back to haunt enough programmers, so you are better off doing a little hard work now to save you work later. Besides, having an elegant, easy to manage solution is something you can show off. I know I like having pretty code (if I can write pretty code).

Who knows? If they like it enough, they may decide to stick with your solution for a long time to come. Think of how that will make you feel.

In short, this seems like a script used often enough to do it right at the beginning. Don't get lured into the "quick now, more work later" mindset. Not good.

J. J. Horner
Linux, Perl, Apache, Stronghold, Unix
jhorner@knoxlug.org http://www.knoxlug.org/

Comment on RE: Code versus Config

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RE: RE: Code versus Config by Odud (Pilgrim) on Jun 05, 2000 at 16:34 UTC
The script won't have a limited life - I expect it to be used for a long while yet. It's just that it will go through a "tuning" phase before settling down. I appreciate what you are saying about doing it right first time but I think there is a need to get the balance right between the code that performs the script functions and the code that performs the script housekeeping and control. (Clumsily worded but I hope you see what I'm getting at) For most of the stuff that I write I would agree with you entirely - an ounce of prevention... etc. (I can't remember the whole saying) and I sometimes go a bit over the top "don't ever assume anything is correct or anything ever worked" - it's just the borderline cases where I worry about the ratios.	[reply]

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RE: RE: Code versus Config
by Odud (Pilgrim) on Jun 05, 2000 at 16:34 UTC

The script won't have a limited life - I expect it to be used for a long while yet. It's just that it will go through a "tuning" phase before settling down. I appreciate what you are saying about doing it right first time but I think there is a need to get the balance right between the code that performs the script functions and the code that performs the script housekeeping and control. (Clumsily worded but I hope you see what I'm getting at) For most of the stuff that I write I would agree with you entirely - an ounce of prevention... etc. (I can't remember the whole saying) and I sometimes go a bit over the top "don't ever assume anything is correct or anything ever worked" - it's just the borderline cases where I worry about the ratios.

[reply]