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ChOas
<H4>Posted to Meditations</H4>
<BR>
Should I write your code ?<BR>
<BR>
Hey guys, I have a question, which I now really have to ask you...<BR>
This has been bothering me for a long time,
but since [id://151957|this] node <BR>
I feel compelled to get your opinion.<BR>
<BR>
In my current day to day job I do Network security/management, <BR>
and since there are not many coders at the company I work<BR> for, I help people out who are struggling with their code.<BR>
<BR>
Time and time again I am stumped by the following problem:<BR>
WHEN do I stop helping ? when is it enough, when do I get
the <BR>feeling I`m taking over their code ? <BR>
<BR>
Like in the link mentioned above, I have given advice to people<BR>
that did not reflect my own coding style; Just pointing
them <BR>
in the right direction (as mentioned in that artice,where I
advised<BR> the person to add code to show why the rename was failing)<BR>
While I KNOW they take a whole wrong aproach.<BR>
<BR>
Yes, I admit, sometimes I DO take over, and I code it in
my own style,<BR>
pointing out what I`m doing (and smiling back at the blank staring faces),<BR>
but is this right ?, wouldn`t it be better to help people a bit further, <BR>
let them make their mistakes, and help at the next problem that is <BR>
encountered, or do it right straight away, and KNOW that the only<BR>
thing they will do next time is copy my code, and continue on their<BR>
merry little way, not knowing what they`re actually doing, and why <BR>
they would have done it wrong.<BR>
<BR>
Don't get me wrong here, I really try to explain the problem <BR>
with their code, and the reason why I would do it differently.<BR>
But these people aren`t coders, they`re application managers, <BR>
writing little tools to make life a little easier on themselves.<BR>
<BR>
Question is: When do you decide that the person is off by a little,<BR>
and try to give him a hint (retaining the faulty code in his program,<BR>
that you DO see, but not addressess the problem) and when do you <BR>
rewrite the code ?<BR>
<BR>
In the thread I mentioned there were other people giving a NEW solution,<BR>
but non used the "rename or print 'yadayadayada'" method.<BR>
Whereas [caillte] first mentions the new problem: Uppercase letters <BR>
in the path, which I think is the best method, BECAUSE of the "or print" <BR>
the poster (in my opinion) should have enough information to solve the <BR>
problem him/her self (in this case he/she didn`t/couldn`t).
But still <BR>
just adding something simple would help him in the future:<BR>
Trying to rename an opened file should result in an error message, <BR>
and should not be quietly dismissed.<BR>
<BR>
I know I keep referring to that exact node, but I hope you guys can <BR>
see the real problem I have:<BR>
<BR>
Should I give you hints, or should I write your code ?<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
One last thing, I can`t keep myself from saying this :)<BR>
<BR>
If what [tachyon] replied to my post was meant for me (which I think), <BR>
and not as an indication to the first poster, he was completely right, <BR>
it was very wrong code, but (except from the "or print" and skipping <BR>
the . && ..) It wasn`t my code.<BR>