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It depends on how familiar the engineer is with the problem space. If the engineer knows little about the problem space, then any type of optimization is not w
by BatFastard 10y ago
It depends on how familiar the engineer is with the problem space.
If the engineer knows little about the problem space, then any type of optimization is not warranted until a working version is achieved.
The biggest secret to writing software is "not painting yourself in the corner".
- brianwawok 10y agoIf an engineer is not familiar with the problem space, he should learn more before he writes more code.
- bryanlarsen 10y agoBut the best way to learn is often to write some code.
- sqeaky 10y agoThen the problem is an academic endeavor and hopefully not something to be sold to a customer. If it is open source, then it is likely to fall into disuse like 99.9% of open source endeavors. If it is in the 0.1% of open source projects then the community will find the effort for a rewrite, but it could be painful like python 2/3 or perl 6/7
- adrianN 10y agoHave you never written a prototype to understand your customers needs?
- sqeaky 10y agoI usually iterate. Building upon what was already built. All to often a 'prototype' becomes the finished product without the intervening iterations. If that was the plan from the start it works more smoothly.
- sqeaky 10y agoBy academic, I mean any project for learning. Not something specifically realated to schools.
- Klathmon 10y agoYeah, when starting a new project I tend to write a POC, throw it out, make a ton of notes on the problem and possible solutions, write a second POC, throw it out again, refine my notes, make sure i really understand the problem and my solution is actually working, and if everything looks good, write it "for real".
- coredog64 10y agoThe management question, therefore, is not whether to build a pilot system and throw it away. You will do that. […] Hence plan to throw one away; you will, anyhow. - Fred Brooks, "Mythical Man Month"