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I’ve found that a great many software
engineers can develop working programs, but do little or no real
engineering design. Does this
sound harsh? Perhaps, but I’ve also found it hard to deny. I’ve
encountered very few software engineers, for example, who have clean,
crisp and readable coding styles—an essential element of elegant
software design. I’ve also encountered a preponderance of cryptically
written functions, clumsy software abstractions and bizarre spaghetti
code. To my dismay, I’ve discovered that even among computer science
graduates, many reduce object-oriented programming to the mere use of
private data, public functions and object instantiations. It’s enough to
break a teacher’s heart.
Now, I won’t go so far as to say that
most programmers write spaghetti code. That would not be fair. However,
I do think that relatively few programmers have a deep appreciation for
the artistry of software development. That’s not to say that they’re
ignorant of such things; not at all. Rather, it’s more that the
engineering aspects of elegant code design are all too often neglected.
I think this happens because modern
programming tools have made proper code design seem like a nuisance. In
the early years of computing, people were forced to write out their
software designs, pondering many fine details before they ever sat down
in front of the computer. Nowadays, with our fast compilers and
interactive debugging systems, programmers often find it more convenient
to simply sit down and start coding, with just a modicum of software
design. Mind you, I do understand that this is sometimes more
efficient—when the programming task is fairly routine, for example.
However, when such design-as-you-go software development becomes
standard practice, then you have the makings of utter chaos.
In part, this problem is also rooted in
the malleable nature of computer software. No self-respecting civil
engineer would design a bridge by slapping girders together until he has
something that works; after all, if the bridge collapses, it could take
months to rebuild it. Similarly, no sensible architect would want to
build a house without blueprints and floor plans. Yet it is commonplace
for programmers to develop software using poorly chosen functions and
only the sketchiest of designs. After all, if the software doesn’t work,
they can always find the bug and fix it—at least, in theory. In
practice, these bugs are often difficult to detect, and fixing them can
require extensive surgery. The consequences of an ill-designed software
program can be disastrous indeed.
For this reason, I believe that
high-tech companies need to give software engineering the respect that
it deserves. They need to develop a true culture of systematic software
design, instead of merely settling for “whatever works.” A company
that’s looking toward the future must pay proper devotion to the
principles of software maintainability, proper documentation and
elegant, robust design. It must also inculcate a culture of true
software engineering among its employees. The failure to do so may work
in the short-term, but it is a recipe for long-term disaster.
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