Programming for future success
Over the years I have had many occasions to modify other people’s programs. Sometimes I have been pleasantly surprised, but, most of the time I have been extremely disappointed. Many times people pick up a web programming book and think it makes them a software expert because they finished it in “21 Days”.
There is much more to good programming than knowing how to write a loop. The biggest failing I have found is lack of planning for future success. What I mean is that many programmers program for the present. They ask how do I get this to work, not how hard will it be to update tomorrow. I’ve seen sites with huge navigation menus that were hard coded into all 50 pages of the site. If I need to make an update to the navigation, I now have to edit and change 50 files. If the programmer had taken the time to externalize the navigation an update would only require one file to be updated.
Too many websites have been created by hackers who had no idea what good software design requires. Yes, it takes time to plan and create a project implementation. Yes, more time means more money. But, ask yourself if you would rather pay a few hundred extra dollars today for a site that can be easily updated or a few thousand dollars a year to get someone to fight your site into looking like you want.
Make sure that your programmer has a background in designing sites that can be easily updated. Take the time to talk to some of the referrals. A few well placed questions can save you many future dollars.
April 20 2007 04:18 pm | Programming Help
