some stuff

As promised, I am blogging whatever I have read in the book till now. No wonder everyone says that this is a must read for a programmer. So, there is no format I will be following regularly to post whatever I have learnt. Today’s format is, I am putting the name of the section I read and the points I noted down from that section. So, here it goes.

1. The cat ate my source code

• The basic point is take responsibility for what you have done and don’t just give that lame excuse. Talk to yourself first to make sure you are not giving a lame excuse.
• Do not be afraid to ask for help. There is a saying, ” The greatest of all weakness is the fear of appearing weak”. Memorise this statement (I did it already!)

2. Software entropy

• Fix the broken windows. If you see something wrong in the design, fix it. If you leave it as it is, another window will be broken and on and on and you will end up with a pile of mess.
• If the code is already messy, do not get into the mindset of “Well, code is anyway crappy, I will follow suit, it is not a big deal”.
• If it can’t be fixed right away, atleast board it up somewhere so that you don’t forget.

* I wonder how strictly this can be followed or how many people really follow this? Any opinions?

3. Stone soup and boiled frogs

• The author gives an example of how two soldiers start making soup with just stones and how the villagers come together and contribute ingredients to it and make it a good soup. The moral of the story is, you be the catalyst of change. You start the process.
• The authors mention another interesting analogy saying a frog put in a boiled water jumps right out of it but when put in cold water and slowly heated up, stays there. The moral of the story is, make constant changes to your code, clean it up, remember the big picture always.