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1500 questions
55
votes
16 answers
Is it bad practice to name an unused variable with a single underscore?
Often when the syntax of the language requires me to name a variable that is never used, I'll name it _.
In my mind, this reduces clutter and lets me focus on the meaningful variables in the code. I find it to be unobtrusive so that it produces an…
Kris Harper
- 2,257
55
votes
14 answers
What is the best way to evaluate new programmers?
What is the best way to evaluate the best candidates to get a new job (talking merely in terms of programming skills)? In my company we have had a lot of bad experiences with people who have good grades but do not have real programming skills. …
Rafael
- 687
55
votes
13 answers
Be liberal in what you accept... or not?
[Disclaimer: this question is subjective, but I would prefer getting answers backed by facts and/or reflexions]
I think everyone knows about the Robustness Principle, usually summed up by Postel's Law:
Be conservative in what you send; be liberal…
Matthieu M.
- 14,896
55
votes
17 answers
Is a code review subjective or objective (quantifiable)?
I am putting together some guidelines for code reviews. We do not have one formal process yet and are trying to formalize it. And our team is geographically distributed.
We are using TFS for source control (we used it for tasks/bug tracking/project…
ram
55
votes
4 answers
What should I do to be language-agnostic?
By now I work with asp.net and C#. I have done a decent work in Java as well. I am planning my career in such a way I should be language-agnostic someday. What are the things that I need to learn?
First would OOP paradigms as its speaks about the…
Gopi
- 3,123
55
votes
9 answers
Why the scorn for COBOL?
When people mention COBOL, it's usually either met with a snort or groan. I don't know much about COBOL, but I've seen some programs written in it. I can see that it's wordy, and to uninitiated eyes such as mine, unintelligible. But, really, aren't…
Barry Brown
- 4,095
55
votes
4 answers
Why do iterators in Python raise an exception?
Here's the syntax for iterators in Java (somewhat similar syntax in C#):
Iterator it = sequence.iterator();
while (it.hasNext()) {
System.out.println(it.next());
}
Which makes sense. Here's the equivalent syntax in Python:
it =…
NullUserException
- 840
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- 6
- 15
54
votes
5 answers
How would you assess a programmer's Github profile?
Lots of people in the open source community say they strongly consider a candidate's Github profile when hiring.
I'm active on Github, with a few projects of my own and some contributions to others. But looking at my own profile as if I were an…
Nathan Long
- 3,667
54
votes
11 answers
How does one network at software conferences?
I'm still at Microsoft TechEd, and the response to my question about how to effectively use my time at software conferences was overwhelmingly "networking is the most useful part of software conferences".
Problem: I have no idea how to even approach…
Billy ONeal
- 8,073
54
votes
11 answers
Is the 80 character limit still relevant in times of widescreen monitors?
on a widescreen monitor one can easily see more than 80 characters at a time, without scrollbars. even linus torvalds sees the 80 character limit as outdated.
so, is the 80 character limit still relevant in times of widescreen monitors?
Lesmana
- 1,559
54
votes
14 answers
Effective Ways to Introduce Agile into the Workplace?
In your experience (anecdotal or otherwise), what are some effective ways to introduce Agile into a non-Agile organization or company?
UPDATED: Can anyone speak to cases where you tried to introduce Agile but you were "shot down"? Also, do you now…
Troy DeMonbreun
- 408
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54
votes
11 answers
Why are /// comment blocks important?
Someone once said we should prefix all our methods with the /// comment blocks (C#) but did not explain why.
I started to use them and found they annoyed me quite a bit, so stopped using them except for libraries and static methods.…
Rachel
- 24,029
54
votes
3 answers
Best practices for logging and tracing in .NET
I've been reading a lot about tracing and logging, trying to find some golden rule for best practices in the matter, but there isn't any. People say that good programmers produce good tracing, but put it that way and it has to come from…
Levidad
- 798
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54
votes
9 answers
Why are pointers not recommended when coding with C++?
I read from somewhere that when using C++ it is recommended not to use pointers. Why is pointers such a bad idea when you are using C++. For C programmers that are used to using pointers, what is the better alternative and approach in C++?
Joshua Partogi
- 3,885
54
votes
10 answers
If software engineering means making software for other domains when are you supposed to get the knowledge about that other domain?
I'm told that software is everywhere and therefore used in other domains. My question is if you're a software engineer working on software for lawyers or software for biologist when do you actually get the time to learn about the other domain you're…
WindBreeze
- 687
- 5
- 6