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Software development topics I've changed my mind on

(chriskiehl.com)
873 points belter | 1 comments | 05 Feb 25 09:50 UTC | HN request time: 0.298s | source
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pgsandstrom ◴[05 Feb 25 11:34 UTC] No.42947068[source]▶
> Most programming should be done long before a single line of code is written

I'd rephrase this to something like: Most programming should be done before 5% of the code is written. Because "no plan survives contact with the enemy". I often develop a plan, work for just a tiny bit, and realize some new constraints. It's after that point that you should construct your grand battle plan.

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1. latexr ◴[05 Feb 25 11:44 UTC] No.42947169[source]▶
From “The Cathedral and the Bazaar”:

> # 3 “Plan to throw one away; you will, anyhow.” (Fred Brooks, “The Mythical Man-Month”, Chapter 11)

> Or, to put it another way, you often don’t really understand the problem until after the first time you implement a solution. The second time, maybe you know enough to do it right. So if you want to get it right, be ready to start over at least once.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cathedral_and_the_Bazaar