Comments on: “it’s your job to defend the code” http://www.selikoff.net/2008/09/20/its-your-job-to-defend-the-code/ Java/J2EE Software Development and Technology Discussion Blog Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:05:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Jeanne http://www.selikoff.net/2008/09/20/its-your-job-to-defend-the-code/comment-page-1/#comment-374 Jeanne Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:19:12 +0000 http://www.selikoff.net/blog/?p=456#comment-374 Boose, I wrote this thinking about the scenario of regular development where the code/feature is being initially implemented. If management is going to say they want crap, it's our job to work with them to understand why they really don't. And when going through the long term consequence does often help. In terms of the "emergency" fix, I'm more flexible. Depending on what it is. I'm still likely to push to make sure they know exactly what the risk is. If it's messy code that "works" and will "just" be a maintenance issue, we can clean it up after. So long as it gets added as an actual action item on the list - that way it gets done. If it's compromising something that will hit us this time, we tend to talk more about it. Whether that's getting the business user's agreement that "atastrophic end of world prolly never gonna happen problem here" is ok or the like. Boose,
I wrote this thinking about the scenario of regular development where the code/feature is being initially implemented. If management is going to say they want crap, it’s our job to work with them to understand why they really don’t. And when going through the long term consequence does often help.

In terms of the “emergency” fix, I’m more flexible. Depending on what it is. I’m still likely to push to make sure they know exactly what the risk is. If it’s messy code that “works” and will “just” be a maintenance issue, we can clean it up after. So long as it gets added as an actual action item on the list – that way it gets done. If it’s compromising something that will hit us this time, we tend to talk more about it. Whether that’s getting the business user’s agreement that “atastrophic end of world prolly never gonna happen problem here” is ok or the like.

]]> By: B Boose http://www.selikoff.net/2008/09/20/its-your-job-to-defend-the-code/comment-page-1/#comment-366 B Boose Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:26:36 +0000 http://www.selikoff.net/blog/?p=456#comment-366 sounds good on paper. How about the situation where you're assigned a problem, then explain to the powers that be- "what about this situation?" and the reply is "don't worry about that, fix this...." Or, just make it work- we'll worry about [fill in catastrophic end of world prolly never gonna happen problem here] later? To me bad code isn't necessarily code that's broken right out the gate, it's poorly thought out, cobbled together code that works- for now. Until the poor mensch assigned to modify this stuff has to deal with it. sounds good on paper. How about the situation where you’re assigned a problem, then explain to the powers that be- “what about this situation?” and the reply is “don’t worry about that, fix this….” Or, just make it work- we’ll worry about [fill in catastrophic end of world prolly never gonna happen problem here] later? To me bad code isn’t necessarily code that’s broken right out the gate, it’s poorly thought out, cobbled together code that works- for now. Until the poor mensch assigned to modify this stuff has to deal with it.

]]> By: jeanne http://www.selikoff.net/2008/09/20/its-your-job-to-defend-the-code/comment-page-1/#comment-317 jeanne Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:22:31 +0000 http://www.selikoff.net/blog/?p=456#comment-317 I was e-mailed a question asking where this was in the book. The part about defending code is at the top of page 6. I was e-mailed a question asking where this was in the book. The part about defending code is at the top of page 6.

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