It's better to have something running now, even if it's not perfect, than to have something perfect that doesn't run until later. You can always improve it later, if you need to. [Emphasis mine]

I can't agree more strongly. It is not any good writing code without having the ability (fortitude? strength of will? maybe some other words fit here too) to change it later. Code (and its design) is fluid, and dynamic. Trying to set it in stone on the first try is surely going to cause problems later.

I think many people are afraid to make major changes to their underlying code, though. They fear causing new bugs. This is a legitimate fear, and definitely should be considered. My favorite way to decrease the fear is by having a good test suite. Having that safety net there to make sure the API is followed according to docs -- even when there are major changes made underneath -- is a very reassuring thing.

Of course, a bad test suite might give a false sense of security, but that's another post altogether. :-)

In reply to Re^2: Design opinion, configuration inheritance by revdiablo
in thread Design opinion, configuration inheritance by naChoZ

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