Is the ability to estimate hours an essential quality of a programmer?
Is it possible to be a great programmer without being great at estimating time for a given task? Can you be great at one and not great at the other and still be 'successful'? ...
discussion
Unboxing Null-Object to long results in NullPointerException, fine?
This snippet throws an NullPointerException due to the fact that its unboxed to a primitive type and Long.longValue() is called, right? Thats even easy to see if you have a snippet like this: long value = (Long) null; But the NullPointerException is even harder to get in a more complex situation like this: long propertyValue = (Long...
Why Delphi compiler does not inline assembly functions?
Sometimes I write very short assembly functions like function SeniorBit(Value: LongWord): Integer; asm OR EAX,EAX JZ @@Done BSR EAX,EAX INC EAX @@Done: end; that seems to be the best candidates for inlining: function SeniorBit(Value: LongWord): Integer; inline; but Delphi compiler does not ...
Are unit tests also used to find bugs?
I was reading the following article and the author made it quite clear that unit tests are NOT used to find bugs. I would like to know what your thoughts are on this. I do know that unit tests makes the design of your application much more robust but isn't it the fact that finding bugs through unit tests that make the application robust,...
Writing a code example
I would like to have your feedback regarding code examples. One of the most frustrating experiences I sometimes have when learning a new technology is finding useless examples. I think an example as the most precious thing that comes with a new library, language, or technology. It must be a starting point, a wise and unadulterated exp...
Is generic Money<TAmount> a good implementation idea?
I have a Money Type that allows math operations and is sensitive to exchange rates so it will reduce one currency to another if rate is available to calculate in a given currency, rounds by various methods. It has other features that are sensitive to money, but I need to ask if the basic data type used should be made generic in nature. ...
Generic arrays of parametrized ArrayLists in java?
I am new to Java, so I am not aware of the nitty gritties. Why can't I create generic array of parametrized ArrayList? Instead I have to write, ArrayList<String>[] alist = new ArrayList[10]; or I have to create List of ArrayLists. Aren't arrays supposed to be more efficient than ArrayLists? Then why doesn't Java allow it? Also, wha...
Need advice for a simple comment system in MYSQL.
I have a simple flat comment system and I would like to expand it to allow one level of replies to the root level comments. I would also like to be able to have the results sorted by the root level comment in ASC or DESC order or some kind of rank but the child replies sorted always by newsest first and then still be able to select resul...
Upsides of a timebox for a customer
So I have a customer with a potential big project that (ofcourse) does not know what they want exactly. The size of this project can be more that 4 or 5 months so that is a big risk. Thats why I want to sell a timebox. For me that takes away the risk of spending 10 months instead of 5 for the same price. The problem is that I can't co...
How do you handle your "Project Manager"
I currently work for a company who recently has downsized. I do all in house work, client installs, builds,q.a, well basically all the in house work. My direct boss is VERY untechnical and lately I have found it VERY hard to deal with his lack of knowledge. The biggest issues I have had are as follows: I am on many deadlines at a tim...
From a language design perspective, if Javascript objects are simply associative arrays, then why have objects?
I was reading about objects in O'Reilly Javascript Pocket Reference and the book made the following statement. An object is a compound data type that contains any number of properties. Javascript objects are associative arrays: they associate arbitrary data values with arbitrary names. From a language design perspective, if obje...
How could it happen that version control software emerged so lately?
According to Wikipedia (the table at the page bottom), the earliest known version control systems were CVS and TeamWare both known from year 1990. How can it be? Software development has been here from at most 1960's and I honestly can't imagine working with codebase without version control. How could it happen that version control sof...
Is Stopwatch really broken?
At MSDN page for Stopwatch class I discovered link to interesting article which makes following statement about Stopwatch: However there are some serious issues: This can be unreliable on a PC with multiple processors. Due to a bug in the BIOS, Start() and Stop() must be executed on the same processor to get a correct re...
Are any of the scripts from Hotscripts and similar websites useful?
Sites like hotscript.com offer tons of scripts you can download for free or a fee. Are those scripts useful for programmers? For example, you can implement such a script into your program and modify it to your needs. But some of the scripts seems kind of shaddy.. ...
What's the easiest/fast way to get my website up and running on the web?
This is probably a really really beginner's question, but I would like to know what's the fastest way to get my site on the web so that people can start using it. I'm learning everything about programming out of books and at home so I don't have much experience. -->Before I go to like godaddy.com or such site to get a domain name, is t...
How do I get a better looking form field for users to post stuff?
I want users to be able to bold, italic, insert images, urls, etc. Like for SO, there's this dashboard that allows you to do those. Where can I get something like that? ...
What are the programming religious wars of the generations before our current generation?
Being 32 years old, I did not follow debates in programming, language design, and platforms in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and most of the 1990s. I sometimes hear glimpse of what the major debates were and how they turned the course of history. It makes me wonder what I take for granted. I am curious, what were the debates. The ones I know...
Python Solitaire
This is more of a thought i had awhile rather than an actual problem to solve, maybe more a discussion, but i was wondering if it would be possible to design the game of solitaire and be abkle to play it in the python GUI or some other form of iterface? I know you can get a deck of cards fairly easily and i know yuo can play simple games...
Web-Application development startup advice
Recently me and two of my friends from college started a software company. We are developing web-applications using GWT-Spring-Hibernate and other helper frameworks. In a couple of months, we managed to set up a stable back-end and produced some demo programs for CRM solutions. Our area of interest is CRM where we can combine the flexibi...
ASP.NET MVC Web Controls - good or bad
What are your opinions on using web controls in an MVC context? I came across a good discussion here http://odetocode.com/Blogs/scott/archive/2009/04/09/asp-net-mvc-controls-and-good-versus-evil.aspx but would like to know what the community thinks. ...