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Being methodical is good when your problem is intricate and well defined. Fast feedback won't be helpful in implementing a complex algorithm like a compiler or
by fantispug 10y ago
Being methodical is good when your problem is intricate and well defined. Fast feedback won't be helpful in implementing a complex algorithm like a compiler or a numerical simulation (although I would argue it will help you debug it).
When what you're doing is simple but error prone, or not well defined fast feedback can make you much more efficient. If you're using an underdocumented API/dataset, the best way to understand it is to probe it with code, quickly iterating.
I used to write a lot of LaTeX and make lots of simple mistakes (missing backslashes typically). I found having an environment where I found my mistakes as soon as I made them more efficient than searching through the output for all mistakes, and then for each mistake finding the corresponding source and correcting them.
- Retric 10y agoThe problem is fast feedback means you tend to create more bugs. It's faster in the short term, but very quickly produces unmaintainable code. In the end you can write code to be read (aka maintainable), to be run (aka fast), or to be written (aka cheap). PS: Sure, in theory it's simply better. However, people get lazy make some change and assume if it's passing their tests it works.
- btbuildem 10y ago> When what you're doing is simple but error prone That just means the problem is deeper than your understanding of it.
- WalterSear 10y agoOr deeper than you >can< understand it without probing, because documentation is simplistic, wrong or non-existent.
- darthdeus 10y agoIn that case you have a much bigger problem :P