NetNews Offline 2/NetNews Offline Volume 2.iso/news/comp/lang/c++-part2/11741

Text File | 1996-08-05 | 3.9 KB | 86 lines

Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.eiffel,comp.lang.c,comp.object,comp.software-eng
Path: news.sprintlink.net!mv!usenet
From: [e-mail] (Michael Furman)
Subject: Re: Beware of "C" Hackers -- A rebuttal to Bertrand Meyer
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=US-ASCII
Organization: GSSI
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 23:21:21 GMT
References: <[e-mail]> <3taaha$[e-mail]>        <3taodp$[e-mail]> <3tap9h$[e-mail]>         <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <4i862r$[e-mail]>
X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.99.7
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: gssi.mv.com

In article <4i862r$[e-mail]>, [e-mail] says...
> ..... snip
>
>
>No "hacking" is broader than that, it is writing poor code period.

If you look at the "Jargon" file you will see that it really broad and
(IMO) closer to Robert Martin's definition rather then yours. Hear is
some citations from "Jargon" (with deletions):

:hack:
1. n. Originally, a quick job that produces what is needed,   but not
well.
2. n. An incredibly good, and perhaps very   time-consuming, piece of
work that produces exactly what is needed.
4. vt. To work on something (typically a program).  In an   immediate
sense: "What are you doing?"  "I'm hacking TECO."
6. vi. To interact with a   computer in a playful and exploratory rather
than goal-directed   way.  "Whatcha up to?"  "Oh, just hacking."  7. n.
Short for   {hacker}.


:hacker: [originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe] n.
1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable   systems
and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most   users, who
prefer to learn only the minimum necessary.
2. One who   programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys
 programming rather than just theorizing about programming.
3. A   person capable of appreciating {hack value}.
4. A person who is   good at programming quickly.
5. An expert at a particular program,   or one who frequently does work
using it or on it; as in `a UNIX   hacker'.  (Definitions 1 through 5 are
correlated, and people who   fit them congregate.)
6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind.  One   might be an astronomy
hacker, for example.
7. One who enjoys the   intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming
or circumventing   limitations.
8. [deprecated] A malicious meddler who tries to   discover sensitive
information by poking around.  Hence `password   hacker', `network
hacker'.  See {cracker}.
------ end of citation ---------

>It
>is writing low level or obscure code when it is unnecessary because
>you think that its great.  You usually don't see such behavior in
>then Eiffel, Ada, Modula*,etc communities.  You only compromise your
>software (like writing low level code) when you have a "gun to your
>head", then you must curse like hell!

I saw (and worked with) a tremendous amount of code that was not
written by myself, including operating systems, like OS/370, libraries,
compilers, applications). And there were a lot of obscure or
"unnecessary low level" code. But I am sure (in some cases I know
exectly) that practically in all cases it was because authors did not
know how to design and write clear and reasonably high level code, not
because they thought it is great! The only rare exceptions - code
written by kids (or almost kids) thinking that it is great, but they
also did not know, how to do it better (and did not realize how much
it is great!).



--
<<< If you received it by E-mail: it is a copy of post to the newsgroup
>>>
---------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Furman,                       [phone]
Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.  fax:[phone]
13 Klein Drive - P.O. Box 97          [e-mail]
North Salem, NH 03073-0097            [e-mail]
---------------------------------------------------------------