Programming FAQ: Page 12

Trolling: anything to be done? [closed]

Exerpt: Before you say "uservoice" I've already been through there, and every related request has been declined or completed (obviously without the desired effect). Seemingly I have my ow …

Tags: meta discussion, not programming related, stackoverflow
Does being a programmer change the way you think?

Exerpt: Do you think that there is any correlation between being a programmer for an extended amount of time and a permanent restructuring of the way we think in general? I've noticed som …

Tags: subjective, programming psychology
Web Usability - Background Music

Exerpt: I personally loathe background music on a website. My client has opposite feelings on the subject. I added music because the customer is always right, though I'd like to revisit th …

Tags: usability, website, background music, subjective
How do you maintain your mental health in your programming job?

Exerpt: I burned out a few years back, really bad. Like my nervous system partially shut down for a while because I pushed myself too hard. Thankfully I had good benefits and came back ( …

Tags: mental health, developer burnout, work life
The “Should be easy for a junior developer to understand” argument

Exerpt: Does anyone actually think this is a good reason to "Dumb down" your code? When a manager asks you to make your code simple (in terms of technology skills required to understand it …

Tags: code, coding standards, subjective
What programming “stage” do you think you’ve reached?

Exerpt: A few years back I stumbled across the code on the cob series of articles over at www.gamedev.net. One article that particularly intrigued me was the one relating to programming ' …

Tags: programming psychology, subjective, bragging
What are the things Java got wrong?

Exerpt: I read a lot of blogs and see people all the time talking about bad things in the java programming language; a lot of them are about annotations and generics that were added to the …

Tags: java, programming languages, subjective
Why are there so many sites dedicated to programming and yet there are relatively few that actually describe the systems that they’re trying to produce?

Exerpt: There's a lot of sites out there that teach people how to build better software--but why is it that there are very few sites that actually give detailed descriptions of the domains …

Tags: software engineering, requirements, general development
What’s the easiest, most practical way to toggle several lightbulbs with a PC?

Exerpt: This question is mainly electronics related, but it also has a programming aspect. Some background on the problem We have a traffic light on a wall in our office. When people com …

Tags: usb, serial port, electronics, not programming related
Java Swing or Java Qt?

Exerpt: Can someone with extensive experience with both Qt and Java Swing please discuss whether you would use Swing or Qt under Java, and why? Secondly, what is the business impact of us …

Tags: qt, swing, java
What really happens in a try { return x; } finally { x = null; } statement?

Exerpt: I saw this tip in another question and was wondering if someone could explain to me how on earth this works? I mean, does the finally clause really execute after the return stateme …

Tags: c#, .net, tips and tricks, hacks
Maintaining the Programming/Family balance

Exerpt: How best can you maintain a healthy balance between Following the never ending programming passion and feeding your never full hungry mind AND Spending enough quality time with …

Tags: programming, life, self improvement, subjective
Are you doing iPhone development? How do you learn?

Exerpt: I am looking for more iPhone developers who are actively posting to their blog and/or Twitter. I have been learning a lot from books but the online resources beyond Apple's develop …

Tags: iphone sdk, iphone web, iphone
ASP.NET: Web Site or Web Application?

Exerpt: When I start a new ASP.NET project in Visual Studio 2008, I can either create a new ASP.NET Web Site or an ASP.NET Web Application. What's the difference between these two project …

Tags: asp.net, visualstudio, projects, .net
What anti-patterns exist for JavaScript?

Exerpt: I find that what not to do is a harder lesson to learn than what should be done. From my experience, what separates an expert from an intermediate is the ability to select from a …

Tags: javascript, anti patterns, best practices
You are or will be a laid off programmer - what do you do a year ago, right now, tomorrow, and next week?

Exerpt: Many programmers, software engineers, and other technology professionals are out of work, facing layoffs, or are unprepared for layoffs though they feel secure right now. What sh …

Tags: economy, jobs, resume, subjective
Help me remember a quote from Alan Kay

Exerpt: Alan Kay was quoted several years ago to the effect that there had been only three new things in software in the preceding 20 years (effectively the lifespan of PCs). One of them w …

Tags: quote, innovation, history, offtopic, alan kay
What programming jobs do you aspire to?

Exerpt: I presume that many of you are currently not in your "dream job", although many of you probably have aspirations that are not yet realized. I'm interested to know what other devel …

Tags: subjective, jobs, programming
How to gain professional credibility faster at a new workplace?

Exerpt: When you work at one place for several years people get to know you, your code and what kind of professional you are. But when you come to a new place people are cautious and your …

Tags: workplace, subjective
Best cure for sore eyes during prolonged programming?

Exerpt: Does any one suffer from sore/burning or tired/heavy/blurred feeling eyes particularly while programming? The only thing I have found is it is more typical of days where I have ha …

Tags: programming, productivity, health
Should I choose to learn Java or .NET?

Exerpt: I have an option of selecting Java or .NET as my language. Which one is the best to choose? In which can I see a brighter future?

Tags: java, .net, subjective
How to deal with overachievers

Exerpt: I'm working on a project that has fairly large scope and a lot of work to be done. One of the members of my team has a great work ethic and is very bright yet a little defensive. …

Tags: overachiever, project management, management, subjective
Why Does Microsoft Windows’ Performance Appear To Degrade Over Time?

Exerpt: Windows XP/2k3 and earlier (can't attest to Vista, but suspect it's the same), all appear to become more sluggish over time as applications are installed, uninstalled. This is not …

Tags: windows, not programming related
How much null checking is enough?

Exerpt: What are some guidelines for when it is not necessary to check for a null? A lot of the inherited code I've been working on as of late has null-checks ad nauseam. Null checks on t …

Tags: design by contract, best practices, c++, java, c#
“Community Wiki” and SO meta-discussion

Exerpt: As of 12:30 EST on November 15th, there were 30,658 registered users of Stack Overflow, of whom 1,458 had at least a 750 reputation and could therefore edit Community Wiki posts. …

Tags: meta discussion, stackoverflow, reputation, community wiki, subjective
How do you plan an application’s architecture before writing any code?

Exerpt: One thing I struggle with is planning an application's architecture before writing any code. I don't mean gathering requirements to narrow in on what the application needs to do, …

Tags: best practices, language agnostic, design, architecture, object oriented design
Do you try to make your code look pretty?

Exerpt: I might be one anal programmer, but I like code that looks good from a distance. I just found myself lining up a CSS style so that instead of this: #divPreview { text-align: cent …

Tags: coding style, pretty print, subjective
How should I use Mercurial as a lone developer?

Exerpt: I've decided that I want to use Mercurial for a small, personal project. Most of the help I've read about it talks about merging changes between multiple users. Since I'm solo, …

Tags: mercurial, lonedeveloper, best practices, version control, source control
What’s the difference between and , and ?

Exerpt: What's the difference between and , and in HTML/XHTML? When should you use each?

Tags: html, xhtml, best practices
What’s the first program you wrote that you were proud of?

Exerpt: What's the first program you ever wrote that you were proud of and why? For me it was probably a Delphi 2 program I wrote that simply monitored Windows' memory usage and displayed …

Tags: programming, experience, subjective
What are good places for an American programmer to live / work abroad?

Exerpt: I having been working in development for about a year now, and would really like to travel. I wasn't able to afford studying abroad during college, and I would love to get out of t …

Tags: career development
How do you unit test private methods?

Exerpt: I'm building a class library that will have some public & private methods. I want to be able to unit test the private methods (mostly while developing, but also it could be use …

Tags: unit testing, .net, tdd, private
Best language for safety-critical software

Exerpt: If you were going to write some safety-critical software, what language would you prefer and why?

Tags: software engineering, language, safety critical, risk
What is the difference between new/delete and malloc/free?

Exerpt: What is the difference between new/delete and malloc/free?

Tags: c++, memory management
How reasonable is it to correct terminology in questions and tags?

Exerpt: I've come across various questions with incorrect use of terminology in them. The primary abuses (in C# questions) are: Referring to "C# 3.5" (which doesn't exist) instead of "C# …

Tags: terminology, tagging, subjective, stackoverflow
Do modern compilers optimize the x * 2 operation to x << 1?

Exerpt: Does the C++ compiler optimize this operation? I would love to believe that yes.

Tags: c++, compiler, optimization
What are the best Cocoa-Touch/iPhone programming blogs?

Exerpt: What are the best Cocoa-Touch/iPhone programming blogs? One blog per answer please. Some answers may overlap with Best Cocoa/Mac OS X programming blogs? , but I'm looking for blo …

Tags: iphone, cocoa, cocoa touch, objective c, blogs
Where can I learn about the various types of .NET lists?

Exerpt: Does anyone know a good resource to concisely explain the different types of lists available in C# and when their usage is appropriate? For example, List, Hashtable, Dictionaries …

Tags: c#, .net, collections
Is there any way to determine the size of a C++ array programmatically? And if not, why?

Exerpt: This question was inspired by a similar question: How does delete[] “know” the size of the operand array? My question is a little different: Is there any way to determine the siz …

Tags: c++, how stuff works, memory management, arrays, pointers
Locking Executing Files: Windows does, Linux doesn’t. Why?

Exerpt: I noticed when a file is executed on Windows (.exe or .dll), it is locked and cannot be deleted, moved or modified. Linux, on the other hand, does not lock executing files and you …

Tags: windows, linux, filesystems, locking, operating system
Should programmers take IT help desk positions?

Exerpt: I am a sophomore in college right now. I am majoring in computer science. I am spending time on an open source project, but I'm interested in getting a job. Today I went in for a …

Tags: jobs, it, interview
Should I use Mono on a real project?

Exerpt: Has anyone used Mono, the open source .NET implementation on a large or medium sized project? I'm wondering if it's ready for real world, production environments. Is it stable, fas …

Tags: mono, c#, readiness, enterprise
What is the best format for a customer number, order number?

Exerpt: A large international company deploys a new web and MOTO (Mail Order and Telephone Order) handling system. Among other things you are tasked to design format for both order and cus …

Tags: user interface, design
Why do I see a double variable initialized to some value like 21.4 as 21.399999618530273?

Exerpt: double r = 11.631; double theta = 21.4; In the debugger, these are shown as 11.631000000000000 and 21.399999618530273. How can I avoid this?

Tags: fundamentals, floating point, precision
What exactly do you do when your team leader is incompetent?

Exerpt: One of your team members has been appointed "technical lead" or "team lead" yet he is technically incompetent and lacks major leadership skills. By technically incompetent, I mean …

Tags: subjective, management, collaboration
What’s the difference between an argument and a parameter?

Exerpt: When verbally talking about methods in C# during a code review or in pairing I'm never sure whether to use the word argument or parameter or something else. Either way the other pe …

Tags: c#, programming terms, programming constructs
Boost Library

Exerpt: Since I have started using this site, I keep hearing about the Boost library. I am wondering what are some of the major benefits of the Boost library (hence why should I use it) a …

Tags: c++, boost, library
Why is the fact that Microsoft decided to support jQuery such a big deal ?

Exerpt: I don't see what all this fuss is about Microsoft's decision to support JQuery within ASP.NET MVC. There where signs that open-minded people are starting to have some say in the m …

Tags: subjective, jquery, microsoft
Are we as programmers becoming too dependent on our IDEs?

Exerpt: For a long time, the only IDE I knew was the VB6 IDE, which is fairly outdated (ca. 1998) and not very feature-rich (unless you purchase third-party add-ons). You can set breakpoin …

Tags: ide, discussion, opinion
Why is the Java main method static?

Exerpt: The method signature of a Java main method is: public static void main(String[] args){ ... } Is there a reason for this method to be static?

Tags: java
What is the first thing you do when you install Visual Studio?

Exerpt: What is the first thing you do when you install Visual Studio? I am talking about anything customization-wise (so we don't get answers based on 'I create a new project'). Do you h …

Tags: subjective, tools, visualstudio2008, fun, extensions
Relational Database Design Patterns?

Exerpt: Design patterns are usually related to object oriented design. Are there design patterns for creating and programming relational databases? Many problems surely must have reusable …

Tags: design patterns, database design, rdbms
How do you move from being a developer to team leader?

Exerpt: I have been programming for about 9 years and want to move into leading a small team. I have a good technical knowledge & qualifications, a number of successful projects and ha …

Tags: jobs, leadership, career development
How can I use functional programming in the real world?

Exerpt: Functional languages are good because they avoid bugs by eliminating state, but also because they can be easily parallelized automatically for you, without you having to worry abou …

Tags: functional programming, f#, haskell, real world
VB.Net function that returns string only returns single character

Exerpt: The other day I was working on project, and ran into a weird bug. I called a function, and it was only returning the first character from the string which it should have been retur …

Tags: vb.net, syntax, not a question, selfanswer
32 vs 64 bits… what’s the big deal?

Exerpt: Why is it considered to be such a big deal to have a 64-bit computer? Why does it "change everything?" WHy do applications need to be designed differently between 32- and 64-bit …

Tags: osx, 64bit, 32bit
Which ORM for .net would you recommend?

Exerpt: I haven't worked on a .net project for a while (more than a year). Before I've never used an ORM for a .net app. What are some of your takes on this? Does using one make sense? Whi …

Tags: c#, .net, subjective, orm
.NET Configuration (app.config/web.config/settings.settings)

Exerpt: I have a .NET application which has different config files for Debug and Release builds eg. the debug app.config points to a development SQL Server which has debugging enabled and …

Tags: c#, .net, asp.net, vb.net
Underused Features of HTML

Exerpt: Yes, many web developers live and breathe HTML, but there are still tags and tricks that aren't used as often as they could be. What are some of your favorites?

Tags: html, web development, web, polls, hidden features
What are some of the pros and cons of using jQuery?

Exerpt: As someone who is only barely proficient in javascript, is jQuery right for me? Is there a better library to use? I've seen lots of posts related to jQuery and it seems to be the …

Tags: asp.net, subjective, jquery, learning, reference
Multi-Core and Concurrency - Languages, Libraries and Development Techniques

Exerpt: The CPU architecture landscape has changed, multiple cores is a trend that will change how we have to develop software. I've done multi-threaded development in C, C++ and Java, I' …

Tags: programming languages, functional programming, concurrency, multi core
py2exe - generate single executable file

Exerpt: I thought I heard that py2exe was able to do this, but I never figured it out. Has anyone successfully done this? Can I see your setup.py file, and what command line options you …

Tags: python, packaging, py2exe
Freelance work with no contract - who owns the code?

Exerpt: In a situation where code ownership was not mentioned and no contracts were signed who would you assume owns the code? The company or the freelancer? If it was taken to court is th …

Tags: legal, intellectual property, code ownership, freelance
Why is it wrong to use std::auto_ptr<> with STL containers?

Exerpt: Why is it wrong to use std::auto_ptr<> with STL containers?

Tags: c++, stl, c++ faq, auto ptr
Must have tools for an OS X switcher

Exerpt: What must have tools/apps/utilities are recommended for OS X in general, and for a developer using that platform specifically?

Tags: tools, osx, utilities, apps
Is it feasible to introduce Test Driven Development (TDD) in a mature project?

Exerpt: Say we have realized a value of TDD too late. Project is already matured, good deal of customers started using it. Say automated testing used are mostly functional/system testing …

Tags: unit testing, tdd, mock, suggestions, enterprise development
What is a smart pointer and when should I use one?

Exerpt: What is a smart pointer and when should I use one?

Tags: c++, smart pointers, pointer
What’s a good Functional language to learn?

Exerpt: One of the blogs I read has been going over the fundamentals of Functional programming lately, and it's gotten me a bit more interested. Then, someone posted a question here that …

Tags: polls, learning, functional programming, suggestions, subjective
“Pet Projects” - Should We Each Have One?

Exerpt: Basically, I have recently started a "pet project" (side project/whatever) working with RESTful APIs that are on the Internet. I have never done this before, and I have found that …

Tags: polls, development, projects, study, home development
Where can I get good answers to my Perl-related questions?

Exerpt: AFAIK one of the objectives of Stack Overflow is to make sure anyone can come here and find good answers to her Perl related questions. Certainly beginners would ask what is the be …

Tags: perl, learning, resources, forums
When are C++ macros beneficial?

Exerpt: The C preprocessor is justifiably feared and shunned by the C++ community. In-lined functions, consts and templates are usually a safer and superior alternative to a #define. The …

Tags: c++, macros, preprocessor
Should we write software to be used at work, in our own time?

Exerpt: To clarify, I find that there are all sorts of fun, interesting little side-line development projects that get suggested or that we think of that improve the application we're work …

Tags: subjective, programming, self improvement, discussion
What’s the best way for a developer to start his/her own business?

Exerpt: I'm a developer who is interested in entrepreneurship, but also loves building good software. What would be the best avenue for me to own my own business? Would a service-based m …

Tags: business, entrepreneurship
What should be included in a programmer’s code of ethics?

Exerpt: Recently there was an ethical question asked, but I'd like some input on what might be included in a comprehensive code of ethics. I'm thinking of something along the lines of the …

Tags: subjective, polls, ethics
Starting javascript development - what to do?

Exerpt: What it a good starting point for learning javascript? I'm a well versed C and Java programmer and I have some decent experience in C++, so I'm looking for a few suggestions: Wh …

Tags: javascript, programming, web, learning
How do you do AppBar docking (to screen edge, like WinAmp) in WPF?

Exerpt: Is there any complete guidance on doing AppBar docking (such as locking to the screen edge) in WPF? I understand there are InterOp calls that need to be made, but I'm looking for e …

Tags: c#, wpf, appbar, dock, docking
Efficient way to implement singleton pattern in Java

Exerpt: Efficient way to implement singleton pattern in Java?

Tags: java, subjective, design patterns, patterns, singleton
What do the numbers in a version typically represent (i.e. v1.9.0.1)?

Exerpt: Maybe this is a silly question, but I've always assumed each number delineated by a period represented a single component of the software. If that's true, do they ever represent so …

Tags: versions
Reasons not to build your own bug tracking system

Exerpt: Several times now I've been faced with plans from a team that wants to build their own bug tracking system - Not as a product, but as an internal tool. The arguments I've heard in …

Tags: subjective, build vs buy, bug tracking
Use Float or Decimal for Accounting Application Dollar Amount?

Exerpt: We are rewriting our legacy Accounting System in VB.NET and SQL Server. We brought in a new team of .NET/ SQL Programmers to do the rewrite. Most of the system is already completed …

Tags: sqlserver, vb.net, accounting
Is .Net/Mono or Java the better choice for cross-platform development?

Exerpt: I lack the overview over both alternatives but I have pretty much freedom of choice for my next project. I'm looking for hard technical facts in the areas of performance (for exa …

Tags: .net, java, linux, cross platform, mono
Editing versus Answering?

Exerpt: If you want to expand on someone's existing answer (add more detail, provide an example or code snippet, etc.) and have the ability to edit other folks answers, is it better to add …

Tags: stackoverflow, sofaq, etiquette
Good tips for a Technical presentation

Exerpt: I am planning to give a Technical presentation for a product we are building. Intended audience is Technical developers. So, most of the time, I will be debugging trough the code i …

Tags: visualstudio, presentations, tools
When creating a new GUI, is WPF the preferred choice over Windows Forms?

Exerpt: Most restrictions and tricks with windows forms are common to most programmers. But since .NET 3.0 there is also WPF available, the Windows Presentation Foundation. It is said that …

Tags: .net, winforms, wpf, .net3.5, .net3.0
What are the most commonly used anti-patterns?

Exerpt: I'm just wondering what are some of the classic mistakes we all make. I think before working on writing good code, you must learn to recognize bad code... especially when it's YOUR …

Tags: subjective, polls, design patterns, anti patterns
How do you test the performance of a website?

Exerpt: Are there specific tools to perform the following job or there is a suite of tools that help me do the following: How can I check page load times? How can I track down a page th …

Tags: web development, performance, performance tuning, testing
Is it worthwhile for programmers to join professional organisations?

Exerpt: Are you a member of a professional organization such as the ACM, IEEE, or BCS/ACS (or equivalent in your country)? How does it benefit your career and continuing education? What …

Tags: subjective, career development, careers, professional organization
Storing third-party libraries in source control

Exerpt: Should libraries that the application relies on be stored in source control? One part of me says it should and another part say's no. It feels wrong to add a 20mb library that dwar …

Tags: source control, libraries
Database Design for Tagging

Exerpt: How would you design a database to support the following tagging features: items can have a large number of tags searches for all items that are tagged with a given set of tags m …

Tags: sql, database design, tags, tagging
When do you use POST and when do you use GET?

Exerpt: From what I can gather, there are three categories - never use GET and use POST, never use POST and use GET, and it doesn't matter which one you use. Am I correct in assuming thos …

Tags: http, post, get, html, request

Programming FAQ: Page 12

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