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From:	Charles Sandmann <sandmann AT clio DOT rice DOT edu>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Code Standards
Date:	Wed, 07 Jun 1995 13:47:13 CDT
Organization:	Rice University, Houston, Texas
Lines:	34
Reply-To:	sandmann AT clio DOT rice DOT edu
Nntp-Posting-Host:	clio.rice.edu
To:	djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu
Dj-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

I don't think code "standards" will work with DJGPP.  Guidelines might be 
a more appropriate term (which gets back to follow the style...)

Right now, nothing goes into DJGPP unless DJ puts it there.  DJ is
*much* too busy to worry about enforcing code standards.  Should he
spend the time to code review each diff or new file to make sure it
meets his intepretation of the standards?  Suppose a really nifty
addition (or patch) is sent in, but doesn't fully meet the "standard".

He can put it in, causing future maintenance heartburn if it needs to be
changed.  But maybe it is a sorely needed feature by thousands of us and
won't need to be messed with.

He can request the author clean it up and resubmit it.  Suppose the author
does not have time - or feels it is good enough - we are back at square one.

Standards without enforcement are pretty meaningless.

I would suggest a "code review" panel would be more appropriate.  They
would be expected to test the code, check comments, etc.  If they didn't
like the level of comments (and the code works fine), then the objectors
work with the author to add the comments or it goes in as-is.  

I have personally at times wished there were more comments (or later 
found out I wished the comments were not there because they were not 
updated when the algorithm changed...), but that is part of working with
a mostly uncontrolled software effort.

And yes, I have made it worse at times, the day before a release, sending
in code without comments.  Time pressure makes me do bad things :-)

BTW - Morten, Eli, Mat, and others have code reviewed an amazing amount of 
the V2 code, and should get a big thanks from everyone for their 
unending hours of effort.

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