

Code for Flexibility: A Manifesto - moconnor
http://coderoom.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/code-for-flexibility-a-manifesto/

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briandoll
This reads more like a novel than a manifesto, but the gist is good. I think
the name is misleading too, which doesn't help when you're trumpeting a
manifesto.

When I read 'Code for Flexibility' I hear the antithesis of 'YAGNI', and think
of large Java projects where every class implements interface and every
interface has one and only one implementation. Yech.

The article makes some good points though, that could benefit from a
restating. "This too, shall change" might be a good mantra for those writing
software in almost all environments. "Don't get too attached" speaks more to
me than "Code for Flexibility".

Change happens, we're evolving as a community to embrace that. Coding (up
front) to anticipate change later, is a bad move, which while not the point of
the article, is how I read the title and many of the headlines therein.

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bobwaycott
A very interesting read for the most part. I worry this kind of call to action
will send a noob off in the wrong direction, even before they've actually
learned the meaning and lessons behind what the author is hoping to prevent.

Personally, I think the biggest problem I find in other people's code smacks
right up against the author's main point--it encapsulates one person's
timestamped reasoning on a problem, and didn't keep in mind that that might
either be wrong, or drastically change in the future.

I'd love to come across more 'flexible' code, but I'd be far happier to come
across more code that is well-reasoned and thought out in a manner that makes
inheriting said code to be more than a royal PITA.

