Program Design

[zardoz]

Originally Posted by girv

Waterfall is the traditional one where you don't proceed to the next stage of the process until you're completely finished with the current one. So, for example, you won't do any (or very little) design work until all the requirements are finalised, you don't do any coding until the design is done and so on. You're right in saying that most large software houses do it this way today - certainly any I've worked in have done.

Thanks for putting me right on the correct definitions! My version of waterfall is how it goes where I work. What, you don't like what we've done even though we agreed on the specs months ago? Right, I'll do it again...

[lucadip]

Originally Posted by zardoz

There are a few development paradigms to help you move from model to finished code, like Waterfall (start with the spec and keep going back to the customer with the code until everyone agrees it's finished - most software houses do this), iterative (complete it in chunks) and extreme programming (not sure how this is supposed to work).

This is probably more applicable for business apps. than games? If you're going for a job interview as a programmer make sure you can spout this stuff!

How true is that!

BTW, back in the old days I always started to write down code without planning at all. It was fun and fast, but I often ended up changing a lot of code I had written and blaming myself for not planning anything at all...

Nowadays I develop 99% of the time OO (Java and C++) and I've learned how important it is to carefully plan before starting to develop! By drawing UML diagrams that describe the sw architecture I automatically also write a lot of documentation, mostly important for me in case I have to further develop/improve/fix my own projects.

Building UML diagrams for 68k assembly development is probably overkill, drawing some flowcharts instead is imho a good compromise. And a good reference for the future!

[CodyJarrett]

In business I've found that designs and project management are a fiction.

To start with, the salesmen have oversold the software, misunderstood the technical side and collected a nice commission.

The development phase is characterised by useless managers with no technical experience who blame the developers for problems and clients who don't know what they want until they see the website/software and that then want to change it.

I suppose that the agile development framework tries to work with the inevitable change of projects but it still requires decent management, which isn't going to happen. Agile development is also supposed to cut down on documentation which is highly desirable as most projects produces piles of meaningless drivel in standard Word templates.

Unfortunately, management is seen as the promotional route for everybody, which isn't so useful as 99.9% of people (including me) aren't suited for management. Technical people in particular don't have the social skills required.

Once the project has got to some live state the support people have to support an unsupportable system. They may eventually come to understand all the history and become an expert on the politics of the client/system but it doesn't make them any more valuable in management's eyes.

Throughout there's likely to be a group within the project that doesn't seem to do anything in particular, apart from producing Powerpoint diagrams. They'll undoubtedly be on high salaries or daily rates and have a silly name.

If the company is small then the technical people will get to do all the technical roles (development, support, maintenance, fixing PCs, changing light bulbs, unjamming the photocopier etc.) and the stuff that the managers should be doing (project management). Combining everything technical into one role is a bit like getting a lawyer to cover every type of law under the sun (land law, family law, commercial law...) but without the decent salary. Cutting down on techy people allows the boss to hire lots of project managers and create a top-heavy, too-many-chiefs hierarchy.

[lucadip]

Originally Posted by CodyJarrett

In business I've found that designs and project management are a fiction.

...
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Wow, where are you working? That looks like a living nightmare to me!

In our company we have several huge customers (like adidas, bmw and siemens, to name a few) and sometimes, I agree with you, it's really hard to understand what they want and to explain to business/sales managers how you want to implement it.
Nevertheless I wouldn't stop planning and documenting my job. This is, as I wrote in my previous post, in first place important for me, so that I can easily maintain my code and keep working on it.

Likewise, to remain on topic, I would IMHO draw some flowcharts when doing 68k asm, in order to locate quite soon in the development lifecycle logic flaws in the design and to produce some useful documentation for me and for anybody else who might join!

Ciao,
Luca

[musashi5150]

Originally Posted by CodyJarrett

If the company is small then the technical people will get to do all the technical roles (development, support, maintenance, fixing PCs, changing light bulbs, unjamming the photocopier etc.) and the stuff that the managers should be doing (project management).

That sounds like my job!

[girv]

Originally Posted by CodyJarrett

If the company is small then the technical people will get to do all the technical roles (development, support, maintenance, fixing PCs, changing light bulbs, unjamming the photocopier etc.) and the stuff that the managers should be doing (project management).

I've been that guy too It's fun for a while, until you realise you're doing 2 or 3 jobs and only getting paid for one and They're shouting at you for not doing it fast enough.

[Codetapper]

Originally Posted by musashi5150

That sounds like my job!

Ditto here! We have 2 programmers and we design and program all the software, update existing code, buy, fix and upgrade PCs, technical support, develop the website, database design, backups, setting up the network, hubs, firewalls, anti-virus, fixing the printers, scanning etc etc. I really like the variety!

[IFW]

Since you do all that already might as well setup a company for yourself and get all the money

[dlfrsilver]

Maybe IFW is right ! I have beared myself these situation too. fully agree with
cody and you all guys. most of the time these managers are plain useless.
And even when you work like hell, they are horrible with you.....

i feel today not in a good health because of this.... worked like a dog, and now
my body and mind says no. Don't know how will be my next job....