Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#11

Post by hedgehog » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 9:16 AM UTC

gruseom wrote: post #8

hs wrote: post #6

there should be a feedback element (or resistance of media) btw, duck can't fly so u may want to cut that feature

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=flying+ducks

Product manager!

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#12

Post by kaens » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 10:03 AM UTC

patio11 wrote: post #5

patio11 wrote: post #4

Duck 1.0: Has a beak, which can open and close, but only eats green bugs. If you attempt to use it on a blue bug it crashes. Unfortunately, no eyes. Duck 1.2: Eyes. Duck 1.21: Eyes now see color. Duck 1.22: Eyes now see colors including black. Apparently, some bugs are black. Damn users and their damn uncolored colored bugs. Duck 1.5: Realized eyes and mouth both share a lot of code. Refactored as "nerves". Allowed c…

And if you think that is at all unrealistic, you're talking to the guy who wrote a program to print bingo cards whose 1.0 version, among numerous other faults, could not accommodate any printer but the default one ;)

Nah, that's pretty much the tale of a lot of software that I've written.

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#13

Post by ntoshev » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 10:08 AM UTC

Your duck example is interesting. Obviously the evolution doesn't use any top-down design.

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#14

Post by aaronblohowiak » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 10:44 AM UTC

patio11 wrote: post #5

patio11 wrote: post #4

Duck 1.0: Has a beak, which can open and close, but only eats green bugs. If you attempt to use it on a blue bug it crashes. Unfortunately, no eyes. Duck 1.2: Eyes. Duck 1.21: Eyes now see color. Duck 1.22: Eyes now see colors including black. Apparently, some bugs are black. Damn users and their damn uncolored colored bugs. Duck 1.5: Realized eyes and mouth both share a lot of code. Refactored as "nerves". Allowed c…

And if you think that is at all unrealistic, you're talking to the guy who wrote a program to print bingo cards whose 1.0 version, among numerous other faults, could not accommodate any printer but the default one ;)

The only thing missing from some development goes is a notable feature reversion based on manager deciding that it is now going against the strategic vision.

"Duck used to have webbing in his feet, but MGMT thought having another fluid-moving apparatus would diminish how much you value the wing. May be available as a paid add-on at a later date."

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#15

Post by wulfcry » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 11:48 AM UTC

Nice but you have to program the cells to contain the appearance of the duck the cells should know about and because that is a feature difficult to grasp it does not matter where you start. First design the beak put it in the cell Design the webbed feet put it in the cell Design the head put it in the cell Construct all cells and enumerate the cell based on the ducks feature And there you have it bottom up designed DUCK with out worry where to start.

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#16

Post by markessien » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 12:18 PM UTC

What you look for first is always a unit that functions on its own. Then you program that. For example, a feather could be used in a feather bed, or it could be used in a duck. You can program a feather, test it and make it work, without needing to have designed or modelled a duck yet - of course, you'll have an idea where it belongs, but since it is an enclosed and reusable component, it can be created first without a top down model.

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#17

Post by point » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 12:21 PM UTC

patio11 wrote: post #5

patio11 wrote: post #4

Duck 1.0: Has a beak, which can open and close, but only eats green bugs. If you attempt to use it on a blue bug it crashes. Unfortunately, no eyes. Duck 1.2: Eyes. Duck 1.21: Eyes now see color. Duck 1.22: Eyes now see colors including black. Apparently, some bugs are black. Damn users and their damn uncolored colored bugs. Duck 1.5: Realized eyes and mouth both share a lot of code. Refactored as "nerves". Allowed c…

And if you think that is at all unrealistic, you're talking to the guy who wrote a program to print bingo cards whose 1.0 version, among numerous other faults, could not accommodate any printer but the default one ;)

You're an okay guy, but please stop mentioning bingo software constantly in almost every post you make. It's getting quite annoying. We know you write a bingo software, but please stop marketing it all the time. It's like being at a party and there is a mattress salesman who always brings the conversation back to mattresses and how he got started, and how he found good deals and so on. At the party, one can walk away from that guy, here, unfortunately not. So, don't use this forum as a marketing tool for your bingo thing. Just talk normally, and if people want to know more about our product, they click your name.

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#18

Post by brent » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 2:10 PM UTC

Hmm... I thought this was going to be about dynamic programming based on the title.

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#19

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 3:25 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Bottom Up Programming Question

#20

Post by lgriffith » Sun, Jan 25, 2009, 3:26 PM UTC

Isn't it more a matter of means vs ends. Top down is more or less means programming in which you don't really know where you are going but know how you are going to get there. Bottom up is more or less ends programming in which you don't know where you are but know how you are going to get there. Seems to me you need a good bit of both to get from where you are to where you need to be.