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- A EE coworker who's exploring software development just complained that his code that worked yesterday doesn't work now - and he hasn't changed anything.
An EE coworker who's exploring software development just complained that his code that worked yesterday doesn't work now - and he hasn't changed anything.
He said it within earshot of several more experienced programmers (including Yours Truly). The immediate reactions were chuckles and "yeah, that happens".
He has been informed that the patron saint for software engineering is Rod Serling.
The solution for this kind of problem is being methodical in the ways you copy, edit, back-up, and rebuild your source code and build files - so that you are less dependent on your own attention and memory when it comes time to replicate what you did yesterday. That said, as a practical matter, there is a balance between the cost of being methodical and the value of avoiding the Twilight zone. So if you're heading towards a career in SW engineering, expect occasional Rod Serling sightings on your commutes to work.
BTW: If you're Catholic, your unofficial patron saint of all computer matters is St Isidore of Seville - known for collecting data and encouraging the systematic used of the punctuation marks comma, period, and semicolon. He was schooled in the trivium and quadrivium (including semantics, arithmetic, and geometry) and lived a monk-like life. He created a very comprehensive collection (summa) of summaries of contemporary works . That summa was so authoritative and used so extensively that it inadvertently resulted in the loss of any copies of many of those original works. ... You may be better off sticking with Rod Serling.
He said it within earshot of several more experienced programmers (including Yours Truly). The immediate reactions were chuckles and "yeah, that happens".
He has been informed that the patron saint for software engineering is Rod Serling.
The solution for this kind of problem is being methodical in the ways you copy, edit, back-up, and rebuild your source code and build files - so that you are less dependent on your own attention and memory when it comes time to replicate what you did yesterday. That said, as a practical matter, there is a balance between the cost of being methodical and the value of avoiding the Twilight zone. So if you're heading towards a career in SW engineering, expect occasional Rod Serling sightings on your commutes to work.
BTW: If you're Catholic, your unofficial patron saint of all computer matters is St Isidore of Seville - known for collecting data and encouraging the systematic used of the punctuation marks comma, period, and semicolon. He was schooled in the trivium and quadrivium (including semantics, arithmetic, and geometry) and lived a monk-like life. He created a very comprehensive collection (summa) of summaries of contemporary works . That summa was so authoritative and used so extensively that it inadvertently resulted in the loss of any copies of many of those original works. ... You may be better off sticking with Rod Serling.