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1500 questions
57
votes
11 answers

IDEs for dynamic languages - how far can you get?

I find it frustrating how the speed of development that dynamic languages should offer gets significantly compromised by the lack of completions and other assets that IDEs would give you in their static counterparts. It's not just about typing less…
deprecated
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57
votes
7 answers

Should unit tests be stored in the repository?

I'm a growing programmer who's finally putting unit testing into practice for a library that I'm storing on GitHub. It occurred to me that I might include the test suites in the repo, but as I look around at other projects, the inclusion of tests…
parisminton
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57
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17 answers

Alternatives to Professional Version Control

We're teaming up with some non programmers (writers) who need to contribute to one of our projects. Now they just don't like the idea of using Git (or anything for that matter) for version controlling their work. I think this is because they just…
treecoder
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57
votes
8 answers

What is the difference between 'layer of abstraction' and 'level of indirection'?

I am not sure if both terms can be used interchangeably. Maybe there is some academic distinction in computer science which is not relevant for day-to-day programming? Or can I use both term interchangeably without being wrong? Maybe it depends on…
Theo Lenndorff
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57
votes
11 answers

Database source control

Should database files(scripts etc.) be on source control? If so, what is the best method to keep it and update it there? Is there even a need for database files to be on source control since we can put it on a development server where everyone can…
TehBoyan
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57
votes
14 answers

Are there problems with using Reflection?

I don't know why, but I always feel like I am "cheating" when I use reflection - maybe it is because of the performance hit I know I am taking. Part of me says, if it is part of the language you are using and it can accomplish what you are trying to…
P B
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56
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15 answers

Should I plan ahead, or figure out programs as I'm writing them?

I was thinking today about Paul Graham's book "Hackers and Painters." More specifically, these two paragraphs: "I was taught in college that one ought to figure out a program completely on paper before even going near a computer. I found that I …
BlackJack
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56
votes
34 answers

What non-programming books should a programmer read to help develop programming/thinking skills?

There are a lot of questions about what programming books should be on the programmer's bookshelf. How about non-programming related books that can help you become a better programmer or developer? It would also be interesting to know why they would…
FeatureCreep
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56
votes
4 answers

Preparing to release code as open-source

I have developed a fully functional tool which I would like not only to share with anyone interested but also get support from the community. This tool is cross-platform, written in C++ with Qt, the code is well commented but I still lack any…
Raphael
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56
votes
17 answers

What is a hack?

I often hear co-workers saying to each other, "That's a horrible, horrible hack." What I can take away from that is that it's not good. When I asked them if it works they say "yes, but it's not good". Does that mean it's not a good solution? How is…
myusuf3
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56
votes
16 answers

Why such popularity with Python?

Other than being annoyed at whitespace as syntax, I'm not a hater, I just don't get the fascination with Python. I appreciate the poetry of Perl, and have programmed beautiful web services in bash & korn, and shebang gnuplot. I write documents in…
Jé Queue
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56
votes
11 answers

How would you refactor nested IF Statements?

I was cruising around the programming blogosphere when I happened upon this post about GOTO's: http://giuliozambon.blogspot.com/2010/12/programmers-tabu.html Here the writer talks about how "one must come to the conclusion that there are situations…
saunderl
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56
votes
13 answers

Is commented out code really always bad?

Practically every text on code quality I've read agrees that commented out code is a bad thing. The usual example is that someone changed a line of code and left the old line there as a comment, apparently to confuse people who read the code later…
nikie
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56
votes
11 answers

Is our outsourced software vendor "Agile" or do they just not want to plan things?

UPDATE: Myself and the business unit leader were able to make enough noise with the bosses such that the vendor has agreed to prepare User Stories for the work they have done and also for all new work going forward. The bosses did NOT seem to ever…
GHP
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56
votes
7 answers

Why do so many standards for JSON API response formats contain a "success" property in the response body instead of just using HTTP status codes?

I was researching about best practices for standardised JSON response formats for APIs, according to various sources available online general consensus looks something like this: //Successful request: { "success": true, "data": { /*…
Šime
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