RE: What counts as technically s

[D.BALE@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Really aging myself here, but anybody remember the old DataNetwork mag's
monthly contest that was basically "name that code solution", i.e., "I can
name that code solution in... 5 statements"?  A lot of technically slick
stuff; complete date validation routines in 7 statements or something
ridiculous like that.  But, finally, it was recognized that it was not
appropriate to be encouraging coders to write completely undecipherable code
just to see who could do it with the least number of statements.

Yeah, it was fun at the time.  It would be interesting to see some of those
published winners today, if only to see how far we've come.

Dan Bale
IT - AS/400
Handleman Company
248-362-4400  Ext. 4952
D.Bale@Handleman.com
  Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
  (Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)

-------------------------- Original Message --------------------------
John Carr said:
>My guiding principles are;
>
>Simple Engineering is Great Engineering
>KISS
>Elegance in Simplicity
>
>Einstein said(I believe)
>"To make something as simple as possible,   But no simpler"
>
>However like beauty,   the definition of the above in any particular
>implementation is in the eye of the beholder.

I agree with you in principle, but we programmers have a bad habit of
endlessly debating theoretical advantages and disadvantages without
mentioning specifics.

James Kilgore gave a great example of something that's too slick (the old
MDY-YMD date multiply trick.)  Are there any other contributions?

Buck Calabro
Commsoft; Albany, NY
"Nothing is so firmly believed as
 that which we least know" -- Michel Montaigne
Visit the Midrange archives at http://www.midrange.com
+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---