Linux Agora D thread

[retard]

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:42:49 -0700, Walter Bright wrote:

> retard wrote:
>> 
>> Why I think the D platform's risk is so high is because the author
>> constantly refuses to give ANY estimates on feature schedules.
> 
> Would you believe them if I did?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_development_process

"Without project management, software projects can easily be delivered 
late or over budget. With large numbers of software projects not meeting 
their expectations in terms of functionality, cost, or delivery schedule, 
effective project management appears to be lacking."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimation_in_software_engineering

"The ability to accurately estimate the time and/or cost taken for a 
project to come in to its successful conclusion is a serious problem for 
software engineers. The use of a repeatable, clearly defined and well 
understood software development process has, in recent years, shown 
itself to be the most effective method of gaining useful historical data 
that can be used for statistical estimation. In particular, the act of 
sampling more frequently, coupled with the loosening of constraints 
between parts of a project, has allowed more accurate estimation and more 
rapid development times."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_Lifecycle_Management

"Proponents of application lifecycle management claim that it
* Increases productivity, as the team shares best practices for 
development and deployment, and developers need focus only on current 
business requirements
* Improves quality, so the final application meets the needs and 
expectations of users
* Breaks boundaries through collaboration and smooth information flow
* Accelerates development through simplified integration
* Cuts maintenance time by synchronizing application and design
* Maximizes investments in skills, processes, and technologies
* Increases flexibility by reducing the time it takes to build and adapt 
applications that support new business initiatives"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_coding

"Lack of estimation or implementation planning may cause a project to be 
delayed. Sudden deadlines or pushes to release software may encourage the 
use of quick and dirty or code and fix techniques that will require 
further attention later."

"Cowboy coding is common at the hobbyist or student level where 
developers may initially be unfamiliar with the technologies, such as the 
build tools, that the project requires."

"Custom software applications, even when using a proven development 
cycle, can experience problems with the client concerning requirements. 
Cowboy coding can accentuate this problem by not scaling the requirements 
to a reasonable timeline, and may result in unused or unusable components 
being created before the project is finished. Similarly, projects with 
less tangible clients (often experimental projects, see independent game 
development) may begin with code and never a formal analysis of the 
design requirements. Lack of design analysis may lead to incorrect or 
insufficient technology choices, possibly requiring the developer to port 
or rewrite their software in order for the project to be completed."

"Many software development models, such as Extreme Programming, use an 
incremental approach which stresses functional prototypes at each phase. 
Non-managed projects may have few unit tests or working iterations, 
leaving an incomplete project unusable."

> I believe it is also an error to require a tool be perfect before you
> can pick it up. All that is required is that its benefit/cost is higher
> than that of other tools.

That's what I said.

> D has quite a few advantages that are
> available with it right now.

But it doesn't matter. Like you said, the benefit/cost matters.