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1500 questions
75
votes
17 answers
What hurts maintainability?
For someone who doesn't have much real world experience yet, the notion of maintainable code is a bit vague, even though it follows from typical good practice rules. Intuitively I can tell that code can be well written, but not maintainable if for…
EpsilonVector
- 10,763
75
votes
4 answers
Developing a feature which sole purpose to be taken out?
What is the name of the pattern in which individual contributors (programmers/designers) developed an artifact for the sole purpose is to serve as a diversion so that management can remove that feature in the final product?
This is a folklore I…
adib
- 925
74
votes
10 answers
Clean readable code vs fast hard to read code. When to cross the line?
When I write code I always try to make my code as clean and readable as possible.
Every now and then there comes a time when you need to cross the line and go from nice clean code to slightly uglier code to make it faster.
When is it OK to cross…
Ken Cochrane
- 771
74
votes
19 answers
How come compilers are so reliable?
We use compilers on a daily basis as if their correctness is a given, but compilers are programs too, and can potentially contain bugs. I always wondered about this infallible robustness. Have you ever encountered a bug in the compiler itself? What…
EpsilonVector
- 10,763
74
votes
4 answers
What is the purpose of identifier-first login screens?
Companies like Google and Microsoft use identifier-first screens: where you provide your identifier (like an email) before providing the password.
Why is this done, is this somehow more secure?
I'm setting up a login with Auth0 and identifier-first…
Tobi Akinyemi
- 675
74
votes
6 answers
When is a feature considered a "First class citizen" in a programming language/platform?
I have seen many times statements like- "Please make this feature a first class citizen in so and so language/platform". For example, it is said about enums in C#/.net. So, when is a feature considered a "First class citizen" in a programming…
Gulshan
- 9,442
74
votes
22 answers
Job hopping, is it a problem?
How would you, as someone involved in the hiring process (manager,interviewer, etc) feel about a candidate that has changed jobs every 1-2 years?
updateThanks for all the input everybody, some really great responses, and good info in every post. I…
µBio
- 2,466
74
votes
10 answers
Why is agile all about the test-driven development (TDD) and not development-driven test (DDT)?
So I am new to agile, but not test-driven development. My professors in college were all about the idea of tests then code then tests. I am not sure I understand why. From my perspective it is a lot of upfront cost that will most likely be changed…
nerdlyist
- 945
74
votes
14 answers
How should I remember what I was doing and why on a project three months back?
I was working on a project three months back, and then suddenly another urgent project appeared and I was asked to shift my attention.
Starting tomorrow, I'll be heading back to the old project. I realize that I do not remember what exactly I was…
Aquarius_Girl
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74
votes
7 answers
What is a helper? Is it a design pattern? Is it an algorithm?
Maybe a little tongue-in-cheek, but as I can't find this answer anywhere through Google, so to ensure Software Engineering has the answer:
What is a helper?
I have seen the name being used everywhere (module names, class names, method names), as if…
Aaron Hall
- 5,945
74
votes
6 answers
Fixing a spelling mistake in a method name
One of the methods that I commonly use in our codebase is misspelled (and it predated me).
This really irritates me not simply because it is mispelled but more importantly it makes me ALWAYS get the name wrong the first time I type it (and then I…
One Two Three
- 1,019
74
votes
5 answers
Why do C# developers newline opening brackets?
I've spent most of the last several years working mainly with C# and SQL. Every programmer I've worked with over that time was in the habit of placing the opening brace of a function or control flow statement on a new line. So ...
public void…
Bob Tway
- 3,636
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- 26
74
votes
9 answers
Are classes with only a single (public) method a problem?
I am currently working on a software project that performs compression and indexing on video surveillance footage. The compression works by splitting background and foreground objects, then saving the background as a static image, and the foreground…
Yong Jie Wong
- 851
74
votes
5 answers
Do I need unit test if I already have integration test?
If I already have integration test for my program, and they all passed, then I have a good feel that it will work. Then what are the reasons to write/add unit tests? Since I already have to write integration tests anyway, I will like to only write…
Bryan Chen
- 1,095
74
votes
7 answers
Using scoped enums for bit flags in C++
An enum X : int (C#) or enum class X : int (C++11) is a type that has a hidden inner field of int that can hold any value. In addition, a number of predefined constants of X are defined on the enum. It is possible to cast the enum to its integer…
Daniel A.A. Pelsmaeker
- 2,715