RE: Programming by the mathematically challenged

I like "strategically placed" blank lines because to me they make the code easier to read. This was especially true in fixed-format, but even in free-format it can help.

I did, however, get reprimanded (at another company) for inserting blank lines in a fixed-format 3000+ line program with 50+ structured indentations (I remember I quit counting at 53). I thought it would help make it more readable (it was all mainline, by the way, and no blank lines) since I was working on it anyway. Seems one of the senior programmers pitched a fit when he went to do a PDM search by date and it kept stopping at all of my blank inserts. I quit the next day.

Jerry C. Adams
IBM System i Programmer/Analyst
--
B&W Wholesale
office: 615-995-7024
email: jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kurt Anderson
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 1:29 PM
To: 'RPG programming on the IBM i / System i'
Subject: RE: Programming by the mathematically challenged

I don't put a blank line after every opcode, however I am very liberal with spaces. And when viewing code in WDSC, I sometimes even insert 2 blank lines (though that's less likely).

I would rather read code with a blank line after every opcode than code w/o any blank lines.

Anyone else have a pet peeve about blank lines that are preceeded with // or * (depending on fixed or free).

-Kurt

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of DeLong, Eric
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 11:57 AM
To: RPG programming on the IBM i / System i
Subject: RE: Programming by the mathematically challenged

Lol, I once worked with a guy who ALWAYS inserted at least one blank
line between each opcode. We always used to joke that he must be
getting paid by K-loc's... I wound up writing a program to remove blank
lines from his source. I seem to recall he was also one of those how
wrote "structured RPG" using the A0100, A0101, A0200, B0100 conventions.
Ugh!

-Eric

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tom Armbruster
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 3:22 PM
To: RPG programming on the IBM i / System i
Subject: RE: Programming by the mathematically challenged

My first guess: Tequila. :)

Maybe he was compensated by lines of code written.

Tom Armbruster

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Peter Dow
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 12:12 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Programming by the mathematically challenged

Hi Everyone,

It's Friday, so I thought I'd share the fun.

I had to work with this vintage 2003 RPG program with the following
code:

C $AMT1 IFNE 0
C ADD $AMT1 $AMT
C ENDIF
C $AMT2 IFNE 0
C ADD $AMT2 $AMT
C ENDIF

I just wonder what was going through the programmer's mind: performance
improvement? i.e. an IF is so much faster than an ADD?

*Peter Dow* /
Dow Software Services, Inc.
909 793-9050
pdow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:pdow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> /