Write only programming

From: John Chris Wren <jcwren_at_jcwren.com>
Date: Fri Mar 1 19:21:47 2002

        I try not to do that anymore. And I generally didn't code straight out my
head on to the IMSAI or PPU switches. I'd usually write it on paper. I did
get to where I knew most of the major 8080 opcodes off the top of my head,
and many of the PPU opcodes, but except for the rote memorization of the
loader programs (which I don't consider programming, per se. I think of
programming as the art/science of designing an algorith/process to do
something), I didn't enter stuff off the top of my head. Or at least, very
few exceptions. Same for calculators.

        As to whoever brough up BrainFuck and Befunge, that's not a real
programming language for real applications. That's what I call a synthetic
language, whose sole purpose was to write a language to accomplish those
goals. Granted, you can program in them, and granted they don't have
comments, but they're not what I consider "real" or "serious" programming
languages.

        And if anyone writes code for my company that doesn't document/comment it,
no programming genius is worth the trouble. S/he gets hit by a truck, I'm
out of business. I'll take 3 "ordinairy" programmers over one self-centered
egotistical non-comment-writing "super-star" anyday. The super-stars aren't
worth their trouble, long term.

[snip]

> If you write machine code rather than assembly language (I've done this a
> few time...) then again there's no way to include comments...
>
> -tony
>
>
Received on Fri Mar 01 2002 - 19:21:47 GMT