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Code, women do it better

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  • X Xiangyang Liu

    McGrattan boasts that 70% to 80% of the time, she can look at a chunk of computer code and tell if it was written by a man or a woman.

    Considering that maybe more than 80% of programmers are men, anybody can boast that with 70% to 80% accuracy.

    My .NET Business Application Framework My Home Page My Younger Son & His "PET"

    modified on Sunday, June 8, 2008 6:05 AM

    B Offline
    B Offline
    Big Daddy Farang
    wrote on last edited by
    #22

    Excellent point. I also fear that she would like at my code declare that it was written by a woman. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

    BDF A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant fool. -- Moliere

    K 1 Reply Last reply
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    • P Paul Watson

      Girls are also the solution to poverty, AIDS, hunger, war and such.[^]

      regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

      Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

      At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

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      PIEBALDconsult
      wrote on last edited by
      #23

      I guess I should go get a few.

      1 Reply Last reply
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      • P Paul Watson

        new coding standards at the company. They require programmers to include a detailed set of comments before each block of code explaining what the piece of code does and why; developers also must supply a detailed history of any changes they have made to the code.

        I am going to pretty much validate what this article says[^] but that is one horrible coding standard, in my humble opinion. The "change history" bit is particularly nasty. We have source control and commit comments for that.

        regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

        Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

        At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

        A Offline
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        Andy Brummer
        wrote on last edited by
        #24

        I'm with you on "change history" in source control. Each code file should have just code and comments that help understand the current code, nothing else. If you really want that in the file, even VSS will automatically put those comments into each file for you. If the revision history is that important, then there is that code historian product for that. It gives you a color coded view of the file where each color represents the latest revision for that line. That plus viewing the file color coded for number of revisions per line and the like makes it really useful for learning a codebase.

        I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon

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        • B Big Daddy Farang

          Excellent point. I also fear that she would like at my code declare that it was written by a woman. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

          BDF A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant fool. -- Moliere

          K Offline
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          keyboard warrior
          wrote on last edited by
          #25

          could you lose man points...

          ----------------------------------------------------------- "When I first saw it, I just thought that you really, really enjoyed programming in java." - Leslie Sanford

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          • S Single Step Debugger

            What is that “comments” stuff? I’m hearing some mates mention this time to time through the last decade, so I’m become curious. Some new technology or just a abbreviation of COM driving ME NuTS? :confused:

            The narrow specialist in the broad sense of the word is a complete idiot in the narrow sense of the word.

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            Tom Delany
            wrote on last edited by
            #26

            Deyan Georgiev wrote:

            What is that “comments” stuff?

            They always told me the source code was the documentation. ;) "If the code was hard to write, it should be hard to understand." ;)

            WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • R realJSOP

              Having it in source control is all fine and dandy, but when you've retrieved code from source control and you're scanning through it in the IDE, it's really nice to have those coding standards in place. That's the way I like to comment my code - especially when you're in a team of programmers.

              "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
              -----
              "...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001

              T Offline
              T Offline
              Tom Delany
              wrote on last edited by
              #27

              Comments? Bah! -1000 man points! ;) (Just kidding. Don't set off a nuke or anything.)

              WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

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              • M martin_hughes

                Paul Watson wrote:

                Women solve a lot more problems than the men but they get a lot less support.

                Yeah, well they'd be advised not knocking on my door for it either. There's one women who gets my support and that's my duty done as far as I'm concerned :)

                ***The collected future Mrs. Martin Hughes***

                T Offline
                T Offline
                Tom Delany
                wrote on last edited by
                #28

                martin_hughes wrote:

                There's one women who gets my support and that's my duty done as far as I'm concerned

                Like setting up 300 chairs by yourself? ;)

                WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

                M 1 Reply Last reply
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                • K keyboard warrior

                  could you lose man points...

                  ----------------------------------------------------------- "When I first saw it, I just thought that you really, really enjoyed programming in java." - Leslie Sanford

                  B Offline
                  B Offline
                  Big Daddy Farang
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #29

                  I wanted to reply to that, but I couldn't decide between 1) pleading to not lose man points, and 2) :grabs crotch: <New York Accent> I got your man points right here! </New York Accent> so I decided not to.

                  BDF A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant fool. -- Moliere

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                  • T Tom Delany

                    martin_hughes wrote:

                    There's one women who gets my support and that's my duty done as far as I'm concerned

                    Like setting up 300 chairs by yourself? ;)

                    WE ARE DYSLEXIC OF BORG. Refutance is systile. Your a$$ will be laminated. There are 10 kinds of people in the world: People who know binary and people who don't.

                    M Offline
                    M Offline
                    martin_hughes
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #30

                    Exactly that :)

                    ***The collected future Mrs. Martin Hughes***

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                    • P Paul Watson

                      new coding standards at the company. They require programmers to include a detailed set of comments before each block of code explaining what the piece of code does and why; developers also must supply a detailed history of any changes they have made to the code.

                      I am going to pretty much validate what this article says[^] but that is one horrible coding standard, in my humble opinion. The "change history" bit is particularly nasty. We have source control and commit comments for that.

                      regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

                      Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                      At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

                      G Offline
                      G Offline
                      Gary R Wheeler
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #31

                      Yuck X|. I explain what the code does if it's not immediately obvious from reading the code itself. It's pretty damned unusual for me to write code isn't self-explanatory. I really hate reading pointless comments or those that regurgitate what the code itself is doing. Even simple stuff like this is annoying:

                      HWND handle; // window handle

                      I'll include change history, but it's only because our automated tool that collates all the history entries requires it. It's a little annoying, but since I wrote the tool, I guess I shouldn't complain. I've quoted this before, and I'll do it again: "If you can say it in code, do so. Otherwise, say it in a comment."

                      Software Zen: delete this;
                      Fold With Us![^]

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                      • P Paul Watson

                        new coding standards at the company. They require programmers to include a detailed set of comments before each block of code explaining what the piece of code does and why; developers also must supply a detailed history of any changes they have made to the code.

                        I am going to pretty much validate what this article says[^] but that is one horrible coding standard, in my humble opinion. The "change history" bit is particularly nasty. We have source control and commit comments for that.

                        regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

                        Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                        At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

                        C Offline
                        C Offline
                        Christopher Duncan
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #32

                        If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand. :)

                        Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com

                        P 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • C Christopher Duncan

                          If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand. :)

                          Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com

                          P Offline
                          P Offline
                          Paul Watson
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #33

                          That post was very east to understand. Put more effort in next time eh ;) (typing this on an iPhone... Very hard... Hope it is incomprehensible to read...)

                          regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

                          Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                          At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

                          C 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • P Pete OHanlon

                            [Quote]In an effort to make Ingres’s computer code more user-friendly and gender-neutral, McGrattan helped institute new coding standards at the company. They require programmers to include a detailed set of comments before each block of code explaining what the piece of code does and why; developers also must supply a detailed history of any changes they have made to the code. The rules apply to both Ingres employees and members of the open-source community who contribute code to Ingres’s products.[/Quote] Yup - I've used Ingres' database - it's one of the nastiest pieces of database technology that it's ever been my misfortune to touch. While other database manufacturers actually went about making their databases more powerful and useful, Ingres is better commented. :rolleyes:

                            Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.

                            My blog | My articles

                            J Offline
                            J Offline
                            Jeremy Tierman
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #34

                            Cool, I have never in my 14 year career have ever talked or seen someone use Ingres professionally.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • P Pete OHanlon

                              Let's not diss them too much though. They're just so much nicer to errm, cuddle.... (I'll let you replace the word with the physical action of your choice). Let's face it, for all their naive statements about comments and the like, they are a better choice than the alternative.

                              Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.

                              My blog | My articles

                              O Offline
                              O Offline
                              Oakman
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #35

                              There are no books like a dame, And nothin' looks like a dame. There are no drinks like a dame, And nothin' thinks like a dame, Nothin' acts like a dame, Or attracts like a dame. There ain't a thing that's wrong with any man here That can't be cured by puttin' him near A girly, womanly, female, feminine dame!

                              Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • P Pete OHanlon

                                Let's not diss them too much though. They're just so much nicer to errm, cuddle.... (I'll let you replace the word with the physical action of your choice). Let's face it, for all their naive statements about comments and the like, they are a better choice than the alternative.

                                Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.

                                My blog | My articles

                                L Offline
                                L Offline
                                Lost User
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #36

                                This sounds like an excuse not to put comments in.

                                Visit http://www.notreadytogiveup.com/[^] and do something special today.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • R realJSOP

                                  Having it in source control is all fine and dandy, but when you've retrieved code from source control and you're scanning through it in the IDE, it's really nice to have those coding standards in place. That's the way I like to comment my code - especially when you're in a team of programmers.

                                  "Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
                                  -----
                                  "...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Mycroft Holmes
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #37

                                  Does anyone actually read/make the check in comments. I have yet to see a single comment (I may have ignored it). Got to comment the code, even if for a single dev, many times I have you looked at old code and wondered what the hell it was supposed to do. And it gets worse when there is a team of dev creating/supporting the code.

                                  Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • P Paul Watson

                                    You do change history in comments?

                                    regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

                                    Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                                    At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

                                    M Offline
                                    M Offline
                                    Mycroft Holmes
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #38

                                    Damn right I do - I want the history and the reasoning right there with the code!

                                    Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • S StevenWalsh

                                      //10.29.2008 The shoes didn't fit well so i had to return them. But it like totally worked out //because now they had the green ones in stock.. they are sooo amazing //oh and added a check for null

                                      L Offline
                                      L Offline
                                      leckey 0
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #39

                                      From knowing other women, it doesn't matter if they fit or not. If they look cute they'll shove their feet into them.

                                      My oh my. http://craptasticnation.blogspot.com/[^]

                                      J 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • S Single Step Debugger

                                        What is that “comments” stuff? I’m hearing some mates mention this time to time through the last decade, so I’m become curious. Some new technology or just a abbreviation of COM driving ME NuTS? :confused:

                                        The narrow specialist in the broad sense of the word is a complete idiot in the narrow sense of the word.

                                        S Offline
                                        S Offline
                                        StevenWalsh
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #40

                                        COM driving ME NuTS... Best reply ever :) I had a pretty good laugh from that

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • P Paul Watson

                                          That post was very east to understand. Put more effort in next time eh ;) (typing this on an iPhone... Very hard... Hope it is incomprehensible to read...)

                                          regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

                                          Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:

                                          At least he achieved immortality for a few years.

                                          C Offline
                                          C Offline
                                          Christopher Duncan
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #41

                                          Paul Watson wrote:

                                          (typing this on an iPhone... Very hard...

                                          I thought any product whose name begins with a lower case 'i' was supposed to be easy! :-D

                                          Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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