I hear this question frequently, especially from students and developers just starting their careers. Let’s start answering this question by raising the stakes, and say you’re working on software embedded in a medical device. A medical professional using the device …
Read moreHow can we write software that won’t be labeled “legacy code” too early?
The ingredients for boosting the overall lifetime of software you develop include: Ensuring that the source code is readable. While this attribute can be somewhat subjective, there are many things you can do to ensure readability that transcend the specific …
Read moreWhich has more source lines of code (SLOCs), Windows or macOS?
The problem with comparing lines of code in two different code bases is that there are many many different criteria and tools for measuring lines of code, and the tools often have many options. To properly compare two code bases, …
Read moreHow do I control where Debug.WriteLine debug output goes in C#?
If you’re running your program in the Visual Studio debugger, and you’ve built it in debug mode (the DEBUG build flag is set), you’ll see the output from System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine (and related debug output functions) in the Output window in Visual …
Read moreShould software developers understand how operating systems work?
I hear this question frequently, and the answer is a resounding “Yes.” Operating system knowledge absolutely, positively has a use in the software development field. Being a software developer and not knowing how an operating system works is similar to …
Read moreAre C and C++ still relevant and are they worth learning?
I hear this question almost every day. Yes, the two languages, C and C++ (they are two distinct, separate languages) are very much still worth learning. Neither language is anywhere close to dying (at any speed). Both are here to …
Read moreShould abbreviations and acronyms be avoided as identifiers in source code?
The short answer is yes, usually. In most coding standards and guidelines I have worked with (and developed) over the decades, the use abbreviations and acronyms in identifiers (e.g., in variable names, function names, type names, class names, structure names, …
Read moreWhy should I add comments to my code?
Good comments convey important information to the human reader of the code that the code cannot clearly convey by itself. Comments should add value, making the code easier to understand, and therefore more maintainable. Remember that 80% of the cost …
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