[24356] in Perl-Users-Digest
Perl-Users Digest, Issue: 6545 Volume: 10
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Perl-Users Digest)
Sun May 9 14:05:57 2004
Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 11:05:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: Perl-Users Digest <Perl-Users-Request@ruby.OCE.ORST.EDU>
To: Perl-Users@ruby.OCE.ORST.EDU (Perl-Users Digest)
Perl-Users Digest Sun, 9 May 2004 Volume: 10 Number: 6545
Today's topics:
Re: $# and 2d arrays (Anno Siegel)
Re: A Stupid question. <djo@pacifier.com>
Re: How to use two or more question in function if ? <tore@aursand.no>
Re: is there something more elegant to convert Dos to u (Andrew)
Permission denied with PERL/APACHE (Nicolas D)
Re: Permission denied with PERL/APACHE <1usa@llenroc.ude>
Re: Permission denied with PERL/APACHE (Walter Roberson)
Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n) <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n) <postmaster@castleamber.com>
Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n) <jtc@shell.dimensional.com>
Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n) <postmaster@castleamber.com>
Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n) <tadmc@augustmail.com>
Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n) <krahnj@acm.org>
Re: Regular expression questions (Anno Siegel)
Re: Spreadsheet::WriteExcel (John McNamara)
Re: Using $1, $2 ... but don't know in which order <Joe.Smith@inwap.com>
Re: Using $1, $2 ... but don't know in which order (Walter Roberson)
Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0; <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0; <gnari@simnet.is>
Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0; (Anno Siegel)
Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0; <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0; <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Re: win32::ole and excel VBA macro conversion: SmallScr <cwilbur@mithril.chromatico.net>
Digest Administrivia (Last modified: 6 Apr 01) (Perl-Users-Digest Admin)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 13:18:34 GMT
From: anno4000@lublin.zrz.tu-berlin.de (Anno Siegel)
Subject: Re: $# and 2d arrays
Message-Id: <c7lb3a$711$3@mamenchi.zrz.TU-Berlin.DE>
John W. Krahn <krahnj@acm.org> wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:
> Ala Qumsieh wrote:
[...]
> > my @field;
> > $field[$_] = [(0) x 20] for 0 .. 19;
>
> Or:
>
> my @field = map [ (0) x 20 ], 0 .. 19;
Nitpick: I'd write "1 .. 20" instead of "0 .. 19". It makes it easier
to see that the array is square.
Anno
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 01:30:40 -0700
From: "David Oswald" <djo@pacifier.com>
Subject: Re: A Stupid question.
Message-Id: <Ku-dnaK_yZqpcQDdRVn-vA@adelphia.com>
"Mark Healey" <die@spammer.die> wrote:
> For some reason I can't find the answer to this question in the
> O'Reily books I have.
>
> How to I pass an array or hash to a function?
What books are you looking in, Javascript and Sendmail?
See "Programming Perl, 3rd Edition" (the Camel book) chapter 6.
See the "Perl Cookbook, 1st Edition" (the Ram book) Chapter 10.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 14:40:08 +0200
From: Tore Aursand <tore@aursand.no>
Subject: Re: How to use two or more question in function if ?
Message-Id: <pan.2004.05.09.12.40.01.474004@aursand.no>
On Sat, 08 May 2004 05:28:25 +0200, Tamara wrote:
> How to use two or more question in function if ?
> E.g.
> If a=0 and b=20 then print "a=o and b=20"
Why do you want to write 'a=o'? It would have made more sense if you
would write 'a=0';
if ( $a == 0 and $b == 0 ) {
print 'a=o and b=20';
}
--
Tore Aursand <tore@aursand.no>
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics."
(Benjamin Disraeli)
------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 09:07:56 -0700
From: myfam@surfeu.fi (Andrew)
Subject: Re: is there something more elegant to convert Dos to unix in subroutine?
Message-Id: <c5826e91.0405090807.43546c4d@posting.google.com>
thanks for help though...
Uri Guttman <uri@stemsystems.com> wrote in message news:<x7fzaasrub.fsf@mail.sysarch.com>...
> stop top posting. no more help until you learn this.
>
> uri
------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 10:14:01 -0700
From: nico99@netcourrier.com (Nicolas D)
Subject: Permission denied with PERL/APACHE
Message-Id: <7fe6c964.0405090914.449e4dd4@posting.google.com>
Hello,
I use a PERLscript lauched by Apache web server,
with the line
"open (FICH, '>>commandes.txt') || die " error: :$!";
i obtain the following line in my error.log:
"permission denied
i tried to change the rights but with no results.
what is the pb ?
thanks
------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 17:22:34 GMT
From: "A. Sinan Unur" <1usa@llenroc.ude>
Subject: Re: Permission denied with PERL/APACHE
Message-Id: <Xns94E48812BCD49asu1cornelledu@132.236.56.8>
On 09 May 2004, you wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:
> Hello,
>
> I use a PERLscript lauched by Apache web server,
> with the line
> "open (FICH, '>>commandes.txt') || die " error: :$!";
>
> i obtain the following line in my error.log:
> "permission denied
>
> i tried to change the rights but with no results.
>
> what is the pb ?
perldoc -q 500
http://www.perl.org/troubleshooting_CGI.html
--
A. Sinan Unur
1usa@llenroc.ude (reverse each component for email address)
------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 17:25:35 GMT
From: roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson)
Subject: Re: Permission denied with PERL/APACHE
Message-Id: <c7lpif$go7$1@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>
In article <7fe6c964.0405090914.449e4dd4@posting.google.com>,
Nicolas D <nico99@netcourrier.com> wrote:
:I use a PERLscript lauched by Apache web server,
:with the line
:"open (FICH, '>>commandes.txt') || die " error: :$!";
:i obtain the following line in my error.log:
:"permission denied
:i tried to change the rights but with no results.
:what is the pb ?
Apache is not necessarily going to be "in" any directory that you
have write access to. Do not assume that just because your script
has been invoked, that the current working directory of the
executing script is anything even close to the location of the
script itself.
You should use chdir to change to the directory you need.
You also should not expect that Apache will be running under your
account id just because it launched your script. You might be able
to change the perl variable $> to the effective UID that you
want, but probably not -- Apache is not likely going to be running
as root.
--
Warhol's Second Law of Usenet: "In the future, everyone will troll
for 15 minutes."
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 09:31:49 -0000
From: Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Subject: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n)
Message-Id: <opr7p7fbyeuj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg>
Hi,
If I have an array: @myarray = (ab, bc, cd, ...)
currently if I use the print command directly like this:
print "@myarray\n";
it returns:
ab bc cd ....
is there anyway I can tweak the print command?
so that it gives
ab
bc
cd
...
Namely, it print out in vertical forms.
Thanks so much for your time
Regards
Edward WIJAYA
SINGAPORE
--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 08 May 2004 20:32:33 -0500
From: John Bokma <postmaster@castleamber.com>
Subject: Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n)
Message-Id: <409d8a32$0$201$58c7af7e@news.kabelfoon.nl>
Edward Wijaya wrote:
> Hi,
>
> If I have an array: @myarray = (ab, bc, cd, ...)
>
> currently if I use the print command directly like this:
>
> print "@myarray\n";
>
> it returns:
> ab bc cd ....
>
> is there anyway I can tweak the print command?
yes, but read on...
> so that it gives
>
> ab
> bc
> cd
> ...
>
> Namely, it print out in vertical forms.
try: print join("\n", @array), "\n";
--
John MexIT: http://johnbokma.com/mexit/
personal page: http://johnbokma.com/
Experienced Perl programmer available: http://castleamber.com/
------------------------------
Date: 8 May 2004 19:38:39 -0600
From: Jim Cochrane <jtc@shell.dimensional.com>
Subject: Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n)
Message-Id: <slrnc9r2t1.1s2.jtc@shell.dimensional.com>
In article <opr7p7fbyeuj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg>, Edward Wijaya wrote:
> Hi,
>
> If I have an array: @myarray = (ab, bc, cd, ...)
>
> currently if I use the print command directly like this:
>
> print "@myarray\n";
>
> it returns:
> ab bc cd ....
>
> is there anyway I can tweak the print command?
> so that it gives
>
> ab
> bc
> cd
> ...
If by tweak you're implying overriding print, it's probably possible, but
might not be a good idea. Altenratively, you could do:
print join("\n", @array), "\n";
>
> Namely, it print out in vertical forms.
>
> Thanks so much for your time
>
> Regards
> Edward WIJAYA
> SINGAPORE
>
--
Jim Cochrane; jtc@dimensional.com
[When responding by email, include the term non-spam in the subject line to
get through my spam filter.]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 08 May 2004 21:01:13 -0500
From: John Bokma <postmaster@castleamber.com>
Subject: Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n)
Message-Id: <409d90eb$0$202$58c7af7e@news.kabelfoon.nl>
Jim Cochrane wrote:
> In article <opr7p7fbyeuj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg>, Edward Wijaya wrote:
>>is there anyway I can tweak the print command?
>>so that it gives
>>
>>ab
>>bc
>>cd
>>...
>
> If by tweak you're implying overriding print, it's probably possible, but
jbokma:~$ perl -e '@array = qw(aa bb cc dd);$"="\n"; print "@array\n"'
aa
bb
cc
dd
jbokma:~$
--
John MexIT: http://johnbokma.com/mexit/
personal page: http://johnbokma.com/
Experienced Perl programmer available: http://castleamber.com/
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 07:48:12 -0500
From: Tad McClellan <tadmc@augustmail.com>
Subject: Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n)
Message-Id: <slrnc9sa4c.sue.tadmc@magna.augustmail.com>
Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg> wrote:
> Subject: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n)
A "carriage return" is the ASCII CR character.
A "line feed" is the ASCII LF character.
A "newline" (\n) is a *logical* end-of-line, and it is different
on different operating systems:
LF - *nix
CR - mac
CR+LF - windows (and many of the common protocols)
So your Subject is only accurate on a Mac. :-)
I think you meant this instead:
Subject: Printing Array's content with newline (\n)
> currently if I use the print command directly like this:
>
> print "@myarray\n";
[snip]
> is there anyway I can tweak the print command?
I dunno, but there are several ways to get what you want without
tweaking the print function/operator (not a "command").
> Namely, it print out in vertical forms.
# tweek how arrays are interpolated, rather than print() itself
{ local $" = "\n"; # see perlvar.pod
print "@myarray\n";
}
or
# _say_ that you want them joined with newlines
print join("\n", @myarray), "\n";
I'd prefer the second one, it is more self-documenting.
--
Tad McClellan SGML consulting
tadmc@augustmail.com Perl programming
Fort Worth, Texas
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 15:14:42 GMT
From: "John W. Krahn" <krahnj@acm.org>
Subject: Re: Printing Array's content with carriage return (\n)
Message-Id: <409E4ADB.B8B608F6@acm.org>
Tad McClellan wrote:
>
> Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg> wrote:
> >
> > is there anyway I can tweak the print command?
>
> I dunno, but there are several ways to get what you want without
> tweaking the print function/operator (not a "command").
>
> > Namely, it print out in vertical forms.
>
> # tweek how arrays are interpolated, rather than print() itself
> { local $" = "\n"; # see perlvar.pod
> print "@myarray\n";
> }
TMTOWTDI :-)
{ local $, = local $\ = "\n"; # see perlvar.pod
print @myarray;
}
John
--
use Perl;
program
fulfillment
------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 13:10:08 GMT
From: anno4000@lublin.zrz.tu-berlin.de (Anno Siegel)
Subject: Re: Regular expression questions
Message-Id: <c7lajg$711$2@mamenchi.zrz.TU-Berlin.DE>
Abigail <abigail@abigail.nl> wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:
> Hung Truong (skyfaye@yahoo.com) wrote on MMMCMIII September MCMXCIII in
> <URL:news:805c863b.0405071735.1561e4b2@posting.google.com>:
[...]
> :) 2) have an even number of 'a's
>
>
> I wouldn't use a regex for that.
>
> print "Even number of 'a's\n" unless y/a/a/c;
Hmm?
Scalar y/a/a/c counts the number of non-a's, so that identifies strings
of a's only.
Anno
------------------------------
Date: 8 May 2004 23:47:38 -0700
From: jmcnamara@cpan.org (John McNamara)
Subject: Re: Spreadsheet::WriteExcel
Message-Id: <8cceb2da.0405082247.569d5a79@posting.google.com>
Sean Berry wrote:
> If I ever try to write past the 8th column, the xls file becomes corrupted
> and will not open. I can fill cells in columns up to 8, but as soon as I
> try to add a cell to column 8, whamo.
This type of problem usually indicates that utf8 strings are being
written to the file. This causes some other internal strings to be
coerced to utf8 and thus the binary data get corrupted.
See the "Working with XML" section of the Spreadsheet::WriteExcel
docs:
http://search.cpan.org/~jmcnamara/Spreadsheet-WriteExcel/WriteExcel.pm#WORKING_WITH_XML
Let me know if this isn't the cause of the problem.
John.
--
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 08:22:58 GMT
From: Joe Smith <Joe.Smith@inwap.com>
Subject: Re: Using $1, $2 ... but don't know in which order
Message-Id: <CTlnc.10280$z06.1921174@attbi_s01>
Walter Roberson wrote:
> Feep if you love VT-52's.
But VT-52's don't have feepers. (sound of a '52 Chevy stripping its gears)
-Joe http://www.inwap.com/pdp10/
------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 13:22:09 GMT
From: roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson)
Subject: Re: Using $1, $2 ... but don't know in which order
Message-Id: <c7lba1$rdm$1@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>
In article <CTlnc.10280$z06.1921174@attbi_s01>,
Joe Smith <Joe.Smith@inwap.com> wrote:
:Walter Roberson wrote:
:> Feep if you love VT-52's.
:But VT-52's don't have feepers. (sound of a '52 Chevy stripping its gears)
The Jargon dictionary says,
"The feeper on a VT-52 has been compared to the sound of a '52 Chevy
stripping its gears."
which is only possible if the the VT-52 is considered to -have-
a feeper.
--
Will you ask your master if he wants to join my court at Camelot?!
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 18:01:36 -0000
From: Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Subject: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0;
Message-Id: <opr7qu0yvuuj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg>
Hi,
I have this loop snippet;
@base_score=();
foreach $lmers (@lmers)
{ #$pvalue=0;
@pvalue=();
my $scA=0; <----------------------------
for (my $k=0; $k<20; $k++)
{
chomp($lmers);
$lmerSB= substr($lmers,$k,1);
while ($lmerSB =~ /a/ig){
$valA=$A[$k];
push(@base_score,$valA);
$scA = sumArray(@base_score); <---------------------------
}
}
print "$scA ";
#push(@pvalue,$scA);
#print "@pvalue\n";
}
#---------------Subroutines----------------------------
sub sumArray{
my @params = @_;
my $Key;
my $Total;
foreach $Key (@params) {
$Total += $Key;
}
return $Total;
}
--------
Now, the value of $scA is intended to take ONE
value at a time from the summation of
the array: $scA= sumArray(@base_score);
the value of $scA keep accummulating itself
despite that I have initialize it as : my $scA=0;
So if $scA have value of 1,2,3,4 from each of "foreach" loop
instead of giving: 1,2,3,4.
It gives 1,3,6,10.
Is there any problem with my $scA initialization.
I have tried to put it in various position but of no correct output.
So sorry for posing such a long snippet.
Hope to hear from you again.
Thanks so much for your time.
Regards
Edward WIJAYA
SINGAPORE
--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 11:12:24 -0000
From: "gnari" <gnari@simnet.is>
Subject: Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0;
Message-Id: <c7l3jk$evj$1@news.simnet.is>
"Edward Wijaya" <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg> wrote in message
news:opr7qu0yvuuj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg...
> @base_score=();
...
> foreach $lmers (@lmers)
...
> my $scA=0; <----------------------------
...
> push(@base_score,$valA);
> $scA = sumArray(@base_score); <---------------------------
[snip blabla about $scA initialisation failing]
it is @base_score that accumulates.
gnari
------------------------------
Date: 9 May 2004 12:40:14 GMT
From: anno4000@lublin.zrz.tu-berlin.de (Anno Siegel)
Subject: Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0;
Message-Id: <c7l8re$711$1@mamenchi.zrz.TU-Berlin.DE>
Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg> wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:
> Hi,
>
> I have this loop snippet;
>
> @base_score=();
>
> foreach $lmers (@lmers)
>
> { #$pvalue=0;
> @pvalue=();
> my $scA=0; <----------------------------
> for (my $k=0; $k<20; $k++)
> {
> chomp($lmers);
> $lmerSB= substr($lmers,$k,1);
> while ($lmerSB =~ /a/ig){
> $valA=$A[$k];
> push(@base_score,$valA);
> $scA = sumArray(@base_score); <---------------------------
> }
> }
> print "$scA ";
> #push(@pvalue,$scA);
> #print "@pvalue\n";
>
> }
> #---------------Subroutines----------------------------
> sub sumArray{
> my @params = @_;
> my $Key;
> my $Total;
>
> foreach $Key (@params) {
> $Total += $Key;
> }
> return $Total;
> }
> --------
>
> Now, the value of $scA is intended to take ONE
> value at a time from the summation of
> the array: $scA= sumArray(@base_score);
>
> the value of $scA keep accummulating itself
> despite that I have initialize it as : my $scA=0;
>
> So if $scA have value of 1,2,3,4 from each of "foreach" loop
> instead of giving: 1,2,3,4.
> It gives 1,3,6,10.
Your program snippet is too haphazard to say what may be wrong with it.
It's a wild mixture of lexical and package variables (so won't run
under strict). It also uses variables (@lmers, for instance) that
must be initialized for the program to run, but aren't. Not to
mention inconsistent indentation and the addition of non-code
( "<-----------------" type arrows) that render the code uncompilable.
It may not be impossible to guess what the program might do, but it's
definitely too much work for a casual Usenet question.
> Is there any problem with my $scA initialization.
> I have tried to put it in various position but of no correct output.
>
> So sorry for posing such a long snippet.
Post it again so that it actually can be run and exhibit the problem.
Then we can talk...
Anno
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 20:49:01 -0000
From: Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Subject: Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0;
Message-Id: <opr7q2rzzpuj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg>
Thanks Gnari!!!
Now I got it....
On Sun, 9 May 2004 11:12:24 -0000, gnari <gnari@simnet.is> wrote:
> "Edward Wijaya" <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg> wrote in message
> news:opr7qu0yvuuj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg...
>
>> @base_score=();
> ...
>> foreach $lmers (@lmers)
> ...
>> my $scA=0; <----------------------------
> ...
>> push(@base_score,$valA);
>> $scA = sumArray(@base_score);
>> <---------------------------
>
> [snip blabla about $scA initialisation failing]
>
> it is @base_score that accumulates.
>
> gnari
>
>
>
--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 21:55:45 -0000
From: Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg>
Subject: Re: Variable fail to take initialization value $a=0;
Message-Id: <opr7q5u7f0uj0cst@news.singnet.com.sg>
So sorry Anno,
I will try to be more succint and precise
next time.
Thanks for your reply.
Regards
Edward WIJAYA
SINGAPORE
On 9 May 2004 12:40:14 GMT, Anno Siegel <anno4000@lublin.zrz.tu-berlin.de>
wrote:
> Edward Wijaya <ewijaya@singnet.com.sg> wrote in comp.lang.perl.misc:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have this loop snippet;
>>
>> @base_score=();
>>
>> foreach $lmers (@lmers)
>>
>> { #$pvalue=0;
>> @pvalue=();
>> my $scA=0; <----------------------------
>> for (my $k=0; $k<20; $k++)
>> {
>> chomp($lmers);
>> $lmerSB= substr($lmers,$k,1);
>> while ($lmerSB =~ /a/ig){
>> $valA=$A[$k];
>> push(@base_score,$valA);
>> $scA = sumArray(@base_score);
>> <---------------------------
>> }
>> }
>> print "$scA ";
>> #push(@pvalue,$scA);
>> #print "@pvalue\n";
>>
>> }
>> #---------------Subroutines----------------------------
>> sub sumArray{
>> my @params = @_;
>> my $Key;
>> my $Total;
>>
>> foreach $Key (@params) {
>> $Total += $Key;
>> }
>> return $Total;
>> }
>> --------
>>
>> Now, the value of $scA is intended to take ONE
>> value at a time from the summation of
>> the array: $scA= sumArray(@base_score);
>>
>> the value of $scA keep accummulating itself
>> despite that I have initialize it as : my $scA=0;
>>
>> So if $scA have value of 1,2,3,4 from each of "foreach" loop
>> instead of giving: 1,2,3,4.
>> It gives 1,3,6,10.
>
> Your program snippet is too haphazard to say what may be wrong with it.
>
> It's a wild mixture of lexical and package variables (so won't run
> under strict). It also uses variables (@lmers, for instance) that
> must be initialized for the program to run, but aren't. Not to
> mention inconsistent indentation and the addition of non-code
> ( "<-----------------" type arrows) that render the code uncompilable.
>
> It may not be impossible to guess what the program might do, but it's
> definitely too much work for a casual Usenet question.
>
>> Is there any problem with my $scA initialization.
>> I have tried to put it in various position but of no correct output.
>>
>> So sorry for posing such a long snippet.
>
> Post it again so that it actually can be run and exhibit the problem.
> Then we can talk...
>
> Anno
--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 02:29:28 GMT
From: Charlton Wilbur <cwilbur@mithril.chromatico.net>
Subject: Re: win32::ole and excel VBA macro conversion: SmallScroll
Message-Id: <87wu3mcpg9.fsf@mithril.chromatico.net>
>>>>> "M" == moller <moller@notvalid.se> writes:
M> I spent several years at uni learning proper[2] computer
M> science. And I have tried many times to do software
M> development the *right* way but sadly the goal has mostly been
M> to get it out of the door NOW.
This was much my experience, too, when I was working directly for a
corporation. I studied pure academic computer science; the computer
was mainly involved, it seemed at times, because proving programs
correct is tiresome. There was an upper-level course in software
engineering, as it happened; I took it, and found that most of it
should have been immediately apparent, and thus I had a rather low
opinion of software engineering because its practitioners apparently
needed to be spoonfed common-sense axioms.
And then I went to work, and realized that the people on the ground,
doing the programming, didn't need to be spoonfed the common-sense
axioms -- rather, the managers did.
M> I wish someone would give me a problem to solve that I could
M> spend six moths on, reading the apropriate
M> documentation. Selecting the right tools for the job and
M> perhaps maby get a properly written specification (ohh wishful
M> thinking).
You will never get a properly written specification unless you refuse
to even begin the coding until you have one, and if you do that you'll
probably be fired first. The common middle-manager is afraid to
commit anything to paper; by refusing to provide you with a clear
specification, he wins both ways: if what you give him is what he
needs, he wins, and if what you give him is not what he needs, it's
your fault for not being psychic. If you're feeling more charitable,
you might conclude that he doesn't *know* what he needs until he sees
what you give him and decides if it's what he needs or not.
M> I have never been able to use most the skills I was tought
M> regarding software design, robustness and efficency.
I have. Of course, I'm doing development on spec of application
software that I hope to sell, and so anything that increases its
robustness means I'll be doing less support work later.
And for that matter, after I left my last job, one of my former
coworkers emailed me to thank me for the test suites/scripts I had
written for all of the Perl modules I wrote. Sad that I took a lot of
heat for slow development, and until after I left nobody noticed how
bug-free and problem-free the code I produced was. (There's probably
about 15,000 lines of my Perl code that's still in production there.)
Charlton
--
cwilbur at chromatico dot net
cwilbur at mac dot com
------------------------------
Date: 6 Apr 2001 21:33:47 GMT (Last modified)
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Subject: Digest Administrivia (Last modified: 6 Apr 01)
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End of Perl-Users Digest V10 Issue 6545
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