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What's really funny is I started in software (have code committed to some open source projects... BIND, Valgrind), and then moved to Physics. The code is garbag
by gaze 11y ago
What's really funny is I started in software (have code committed to some open source projects... BIND, Valgrind), and then moved to Physics. The code is garbage because the constraints are totally different. Experiments and code can be brittle and still work. There's no time to consider user experience for fellow grad student when there's so much else to do... though I do know of SOME students who make time to write good code. Hats off to them.
- Hockenbrizzle 11y agoI'm a mechanical engineer in physics and I've had no formal training in writing code or computer science, yet, I am now doing simulations for atomic physics in Python. I am designing some software library package which will serve as a sort of diagnostic/design tool for future experiments with a machine being built. I've run into the problem of figuring out how to organize the whole dang thing and sometimes have to go back and re-write a lot of code. Can you recommend any good books that introduce computing concepts for applied physics and engineering?
- scrumper 11y agoMy favorite general guidebook for writing good, readable, maintainable, defensive code is "Code Complete": http://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Construction/dp/0735619670 http://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Const... It isn't domain specific but there is so much good advice in there around variable naming, code structure, general principles of bug-resistant coding that you will get a tremendous amount from it.