Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 28th Sep 2012 21:51 UTC, submitted by MOS6510
"When I started writing programs in the late 80s it was pretty primitive and required a lot of study and skill. I was a young kid doing this stuff, the adults at that time had it even worse and some of them did start in the punch card era. This was back when programmers really had to earn their keep, and us newer generations are losing appreciation for that. A generation or two ago they may have been been better coders than us. More importantly they were better craftsmen, and we need to think about that." I'm no programmer, but I do understand that the current crop of programmers could learn a whole lot from older generations. I'm not going to burn my fingers on if they were better programmers or not, but I do believe they have a far greater understanding of the actual workings of a computer. Does the average 'app developer' have any clue whatsoever about low-level code, let alone something like assembly?
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Member since:2011-01-28
ingraham,
I upvoted your post because I thought it was insightful. However...
"For example, after learning that add instructions are faster than multiply, a developer starts writing 'x+x+x' instead of '3*x' in their code. But adding is not TWICE as fast as multiplying, so he just slowed down his code."
It is silly to manipulate source code to optimise cases that can just as easily be handled by any respectable compiler, but I found your example ironically humorous because I performed this micro benchmark just now, and x+x+x was indeed faster than 3*x on my x86 processor. Only once I reached 4 did it become slower. The fastest solution by far was (x<<1)+x (this can be done in a single opcode on x86 btw).
Edit: Programers should be aware that the compiler already does these optimisations under the hood.
Edited 2012-09-30 04:47 UTC
Member since:2006-10-08
Programers should be aware that the compiler already does these optimisations under the hood.
Real programmers don't rely on nebulous optimization that are less optimum, as known from "The Story of Mel, a real programmer". :-)
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/mel.html
Member since:2006-05-20
Thanks, Alfman; very interesting stuff. I must admit that I did not encounter the "x+x+x" issue myself. I *THINK* I heard that story from Herb Sutter and Bjarne Stroustrup at SD West about five years ago, but I could be misremembering. The point remains, however, that you can mis-apply knowledge, even if that knowledge is accurate.
Member since:2007-04-20
I'm in business to MAKE MONEY, not make better developers.
This pretty much says it all. I don't think anyone would like to work with someone like you. Good companies not only care about making money, but also about retaining their staff by promoting learning and freedom of expression.
You seem to have a rather disrespectful opinion about those people who ocasionally "reinvent the wheel". If the existing solution has deficiencies, there is every reason for people to come up with their own implementations. The call whether to use the existing code or roll your own is not just for you to make, it should be made by the team and the individual developers who are responsible for delivery and maintenance of the final product.
RE[2]: Get off my lawn!
by lucas_maximus on Sun 30th Sep 2012 13:40
in reply to "RE: Get off my lawn!"
Member since:2009-08-18
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2006-05-20
You know, I had a discussion recently where my mother sent me a quote from circa 1965 about how terrible a job parents were doing raising their kids... and COMPLETELY missed the irony. I found especially hilarious that she said, "I really do think we're headed for a Fall of Rome scenario." Doesn't she remember what people thought of HER generation? My commie, free-love, drug-addled, flower-child mother, who now drives a mini-van in the suburbs, going on about how kids today have no moral compass!
Point by point:
1) "Old Programmers Had to be More Resourceful and Inventive"
Yes and no. Sure, they were far more resource constrained. But then, no one expected them to launch a social network site for millions of users... by Monday. Today, developers have lots of resources, but far more is asked of them.
2) "The Barriers were Higher Back in The Day"
Again, a plus and minus. How many really smart people didn't bother with programming because it was too difficult to get in to?
3) "CopyPasta is Rampant"
Eye of the beholder. If you write your own sort or search algorithm in production code you should be fired on the spot. I would NOT tolerate a coder who thinks he's better than everyone else out there, and thus leaves an unsupportable mess behind. True, copy-pasting won't get you to be the next Herb Sutter, but I'm in business to MAKE MONEY, not make better developers.
4) "People use Frameworks Too Much"
Same as point 3. If there's a framework out there, USE IT. If you're writing a C program, even "Hello, world!," you'd damn well better be using the APR or Glib. Don't you dare try to write your own XML parser. Again, fire-able offenses.
Final note) You can know a lot and still be an idiot. For example, after learning that add instructions are faster than multiply, a developer starts writing "x+x+x" instead of "3*x" in their code. But adding is not TWICE as fast as multiplying, so he just slowed down his code. And he may well have given up some optimization a later compiler might be able to do.
Bottom line: Everybody always claims it was better back in the day. You could call it "Rosy Retrospection" if you like. In Latin they called it "memoria praeteritorum bonorum." That's right, even in ancient Rome they thought back fondly on those times before indoor plumbing.