Continuing with the tips given in the Pragmatic Programmer book. This is the third and final entry.
Pragmatic Programmer reference tips: 44 - 70
Chapter 6 - While You Are Coding
44. Don't Program by Coincidence
Rely only on reliable things. Beware of accidental complexity, and don't confuse a happy
coincidence with a purposeful plan.
45. Estimate the Order of Your Algorithms
Get a feel for how long things are likely to take before you write code.
46. Test Your Estimates
Mathematical analysis of algorithms doesn't tell you everything. Try timing your code in
its target environment.
47. Refactor Early, Refactor Often
Just as you might weed and rearrange a garden, rewrite, rework, and re-architect code
when it needs it. Fix the root of the problem.
48. Design to Test
Start thinking about testing before you write a line of code.
49. Test Your Software, or Your Users Will
Test ruthlessly. Don't make your users find bugs for you.
50. Don't Use Wizard Code You Don't Understand
Wizards can generate reams of code. Make sure you understand all of it before you
incorporate it into your project.
Chapter 7 - Before The Project
51. Don't Gather Requirements – Dig for Them
Requirements rarely lie on the surface. They're buried deep beneath layers of assumptions,
misconceptions, and politics.
52. Work with a User to Think Like a User
It's the best way to gain insight into how the system will really be used.
53. Abstractions Live Longer than Details
Invest in the abstraction, not the implementation. Abstractions can survive the barrage of
changes from different implementations and new technologies.
54. Use a Project Glossary
Create and maintain a single source of all the specific terms and vocabulary for a project.
55. Don't Think Outside the Box – Find the Box
When faced with an impossible problem, identify the real constraints. Ask yourself:
"Does it have to be done this way? Does it have to be done at all?"
56. Start When You're Ready
You've been building experience all your life. Don't ignore niggling doubts.
57. Some Things Are Better Done than Described
Don't fall into the specification spiral—at some point you need to start coding.
58. Don't Be a Slave to Formal Methods
Don't blindly adopt any technique without putting it into the context of your development
practices and capabilities.
59. Costly Tools Don't Produce Better Designs
Beware of vendor hype, industry dogma, and the aura of the price tag. Judge tools on
their merits.
Chapter 8 - Pragmatic Projects
60. Organize Teams Around Functionality
Don't separate designers from coders, testers from data modelers. Build teams the way
you build code.
61. Don't Use Manual Procedures
A shell script or batch file will execute the same instructions, in the same order, time
after time.
62. Test Early. Test Often. Test Automatically
Tests that run with every build are much more effective than test plans that sit on a shelf.
63. Coding Ain't Done 'Til All the Tests Run
'Nuff said.
64. Use Saboteurs to Test Your Testing
Introduce bugs on purpose in a separate copy of the source to verify that testing will catch
them.
65. Test State Coverage, Not Code Coverage
Identify and test significant program states. Just testing lines of code isn't enough.
66. Find Bugs Once
Once a human tester finds a bug, it should be the last time a human tester finds that bug.
Automatic tests should check for it from then on.
67. English is Just a Programming Language
Write documents as you would write code: honor the DRY principle, use metadata,
MVC, automatic generation, and so on
68. Build Documentation In, Don't Bolt It On
Documentation created separately from code is less likely to be correct and up to date.
69. Gently Exceed Your Users' Expectations
Come to understand your users' expectations, then deliver just that little bit more.
70. Sign Your Work
Craftsmen of an earlier age were proud to sign their work. You should be, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment