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Re: is there any principle when writing python function

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On 8/27/2011 9:41 AM Roy Smith said...
> Chris Angelico<rosuav@gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>> the important
>> considerations are not "will it take two extra nanoseconds to execute"
>> but "can my successor understand what the code's doing" and "will he,
>> if he edits my code, have a reasonable expectation that he's not
>> breaking stuff". These are always important.
>
> Forget about your successor.  Will *you* be able to figure out what you
> did 6 months from now?  I can't tell you how many times I've looked at
> some piece of code, muttered, "Who wrote this crap?" and called up the
> checkin history only to discover that *I* wrote it :-)

When you consider that you're looking at the code six months later it's 
likely for one of three reasons: you have to fix a bug; you need to add 
features; or the code's only now getting used.

So you then take the extra 20-30 minutes, tease the code apart, refactor 
as needed and end up with better more readable debugged code.

I consider that the right time to do this type of cleanup.

For all the crap I write that works well for six months before needing 
to be cleaned up, there's a whole lot more crap that never gets looked 
at again that I didn't clean up and never spent the extra 20-30 minutes 
considering how my future self might view what I wrote.

I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't develop good coding habits that 
adhere to established standards and result in well structured readable 
code, only that if that ugly piece of code works that you move on.  You 
can bullet proof it after you uncover the vulnerabilities.

Code is first and foremost written to be executed.

Emile

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is there any principle when writing python function smith jack <thinke365@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 19:59 +0800
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2011-08-23 14:20 +0200
    Re: is there any principle when writing python function Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-08-23 08:56 -0400
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function Mel <mwilson@the-wire.com> - 2011-08-23 08:53 -0400
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-08-23 08:55 -0400
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function Ulrich Eckhardt <ulrich.eckhardt@dominolaser.com> - 2011-08-23 15:00 +0200
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-08-24 01:22 +1000
    Re: is there any principle when writing python function Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-08-23 14:29 -0400
      Re: is there any principle when writing python function rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 13:22 -0700
      Re: is there any principle when writing python function Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-08-24 11:44 +1000
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function Seebs <usenet-nospam@seebs.net> - 2011-08-23 16:53 +0000
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 10:02 -0700
    Re: is there any principle when writing python function alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 20:05 -0700
    Re: is there any principle when writing python function alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 20:08 -0700
      Re: is there any principle when writing python function Red John <redjohn367@gmail.com> - 2011-08-24 16:29 -0700
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function ting@thsu.org - 2011-08-25 22:20 -0700
    Re: is there any principle when writing python function Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-08-26 07:15 -0400
      Re: is there any principle when writing python function rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-26 08:20 -0700
        Re: is there any principle when writing python function John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> - 2011-08-26 15:40 +0000
          Re: is there any principle when writing python function rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-26 11:05 -0700
            Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-27 07:45 +1000
              Re: is there any principle when writing python function rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-26 15:26 -0700
              Re: is there any principle when writing python function Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-08-27 11:26 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-27 11:37 +1000
              Re: is there any principle when writing python function Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-08-27 12:41 -0400
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-28 02:57 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2011-08-27 10:27 -0700
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2011-08-28 07:57 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2011-08-27 15:21 -0700
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-27 16:01 -0700
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-08-27 19:09 -0400
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Stephen Hansen <me+list/python@ixokai.io> - 2011-08-27 16:27 -0700
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-28 03:31 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-08-28 06:27 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-28 06:38 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-08-27 17:09 -0400
        Re: is there any principle when writing python function Tobiah <tobiah@teranews.com> - 2011-08-26 08:48 -0700
          Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-27 02:10 +1000
            Re: is there any principle when writing python function Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2011-08-29 14:52 +0000
              Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-30 04:20 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2011-08-29 18:40 +0000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-30 05:02 +1000
                For some value of “sing” (was: is there any principle when writing python function) Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2011-08-30 08:17 +1000
                Re: is there any principle when writing python function Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2011-08-29 23:20 -0700
          Re: is there any principle when writing python function Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-08-27 04:16 +1000
            Re: is there any principle when writing python function rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-26 15:37 -0700
  Re: is there any principle when writing python function harrismh777 <harmar@member.fsf.org> - 2011-08-27 23:51 -0500

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