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Microsoft Monday: August 17, 2009

Jonathan Danylko — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Quick Microsoft links to ease you into the week.

Microsoft ASP.NET MVC

Microsoft ASP.NET

Microsoft .NET

Maintaining Software: I'm Not Crazy

Jonathan Danylko — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:30:00 GMT

How do you know if your code is maintainable?

Following up with last week's post about Complexity vs. Simplicity, I focus this week on an aspect of coding that is kind of touchy to developers: Maintainability.

Now, I'm not pointing to any one developer, but I'm sure there are other developers out there who know what I'm talking about in terms of "coding spaghetti." That's just one term. Some of these may be familiar to you:

"You're code is hard to follow."
"If I touch one thing, it breaks the system."
"I don't know where to begin."
"Where is the documentation?"

If you haven't been in a corporate environment and you just code like a madman, how do you know if you writing good code? You have nothing to compare it to.

If it's just you in a basement or garage writing code and you're saying that your code is maintainable, that's like saying you're not crazy, right? You can't do a self-assessment of yourself. You're crazy, remember? Someone else has to tell you you're crazy.

Same thing with your code. You can't say you have maintainable code. Someone has to evaluate your code and tell you whether it sucks or it was delivered by angels.

Find some peers to evaluate your code (code reviews). If you don't have any peers (sad), how do you know whether you're code is maintainable or not?

Self-assessing your code comes down to these disciplines:

Efficient Coding Practices
Given a specific piece of code and based on experience of what works and doesn't work, you should be able to visually detect the difference between a fair piece of code and a outstanding piece of code.
Simplicity/Readability
The simpler, the better. You wouldn't want to have a ton of 'Gotos' in your C# code, would you?
Documented Code (wavering on this one)
I would take a solid programming routine without any documentation as opposed to tons of documentation for a crappy implementation. One day a person asked me, "why do you document your code for the next guy?" I replied, "Next guy? I'm doing this for me so I don't forget the technique I applied when I come back to it two months from now."
Unit Tests pass
Any programmer worth his salt will have a number of unit tests prepared to show how the partitions of the application work properly.

Ehhh...Let your computer do it!

The other way to determine your code maintainability is to use a tool to help you gauge it. Jonathan van de Veen, over at Developers 42, discusses how to build maintainable code with Visual Studio's code metrics. You need either the Team Version of the software or FxCop.

One of the factors he mentions in his post is to have less lines of code (LoC). The less lines of code, the simpler it is to maintain. This affects your Maintainability Index (MI). The formula for determining an MI is located here.

Summary

Of course, there are tons of directions to go with this post. All developers have their opinions of what maintainable code is.

My opinion? It is truly a personal evaluation of you and your code style and practices. Here's my summary of how to maintain software:

To maintain software properly, developers need a combination of methodologies, coding practices, and discipline: the methodologies to identify efficient and structured code, coding practices achieved through experience, and the discipline to write it or adjust it the way it was meant to be.

How do you measure your software in terms of maintainability? Post comments below. Let's start up the discussion.

Other Resources

Microsoft .NET 4.0 Quick Links

Jonathan Danylko — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Weekly .NET 4.0 links that may be of interest to you.

Quick .NET 4.0 Links

Links for 2009-08-05 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Complexity vs. Simplicity
How granular does a system have to be? Why can't some developers code something to be plain and simple? Is it truly necessary to code a HUGE elaborate system when a simple web site will suffice?

Complexity vs. Simplicity

Jonathan Danylko — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Why can't some developers code something to be plain and simple?

When you are given a project by a client, do you think of a web site or application that does just about everything or do you break it down to what's functional and feasible for a web site that does the job?

Let me try a different approach.

Can a developer code something simple or does it have to be extremely complex with a three-tier architecture with web services and a fat browser full of JavaScript and ActiveX components while overflowing with every jQuery bell and whistle known to man?

Every programmer would LOVE to balance the latter and think "that's the right answer," but we can't do that, can we?

In case you haven't noticed, I'm starting a rant.

Over the years, I've worked on a number of projects, but one project that I keep coming back to is a simple one. All the company wanted was a screen where the user would type in a search term, return the results, click on an entry, and view the details of that particular record.

Simple, right?

I was asked to look over the code that some developers wrote in the past. Once I started looking over the project and the code, I noticed something that almost turned my hair white (whiter still).

The entire project had multiple solutions...for the client side. I thought, "Ok, this isn't so bad, I've worked with multiple solutions before.

Then the developer said, "now, let's look at the server part."

The server part was also in multiple solutions. However, all of the solutions made up a "server" model. When I mean server model, I mean the server was handling all incoming requests, creating customized messages sent to and from the client, and would run as a background Windows service.

I felt like I was witnessing the reinvention of the wheel.

After waking up and recovering from my twitch, a couple of things entered my mind:

Couldn't the architect of this system use a web server as opposed to creating a brand new "application" server from scratch? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that EVERY company should now have an Intranet web server, so why not make it a web app?
Is this an ego thing? Even though I'm a developer/programmer, I'm humble enough to know when enough is enough. :-)
Does the developer think he has job security in these troubled economic times? Is management scared of firing him? ("If he goes, the system won't be supported anymore. No one knows how to maintain it!")
NO documentation is even remotely visible inside (or outside) the code.

Of course, there is something to be said for scalable applications, but where do you draw the line? It seems like using a shotgun to kill a housefly. Definitely overkill.

I guess my question to the audience is two-fold:

How do you gauge the granularity of a system?
Has anyone ever experienced a developer who creates complicated solutions when a simple solution is all that's necessary?

Does everyone hate programming?

Jonathan Danylko — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Boy! Lately, everyone is writing about how much they hate coding and software.

After reading Mr. Atwood's post (and the comments) about "Nobody Hates Software More Than Software Developers," I realized that not many programmers out there like (love?) their career of working with computers or coding software.

There was another post about the 10 Things I hate about Software Development as well, but, in my opinion, this list goes with the territory. We're all going to experience one (if not more than one) "thing" at one point or another in our career. Some of them go away (like the boss), but that shouldn't hinder you from your passion of programming.

I'm sorry...I'm rambling. Back to the post...

Of course, we've all seen bad code in our career (and yes, that includes my own code), but that's why you're in this business: To make code that accomplishes a certain goal. Period.

Now, whether that code looks good or not...that's another story. That's where the craft of coding comes into play.

You are coupling an understanding of business with computers to create a program that assists a user in completing a particular task for a business to thrive and move forward. This is why you're being paid the big bucks, ladies and gentlemen.

Of course, there are other factors involved, like:

Usability - Do your users like it?
Maintainability - Can another coding pick up what you're doing and understand the code immediately?
Elegance - Is it a "cool" way of doing something?
Lines of Code - Does it only take two lines of code to replace 25?

Which brings me to my question: Why ARE you a programmer? Is it because:

You like solving complex problems?
You feel a rush when you figure out a particular problem using a creative technique?
Your users compliment you such on a fantastic application/website?
Your peers copy your code because it's a "better way of doing things?"
You like distancing yourself from humans? (just kidding on that one)

If you've answered yes to any one of these questions, you are definitely a programmer/developer.

I don't know about you, but when I uncover a better, easier way of coding AND it's maintainable and elegant, I start doing a happy dance.

There have been other posts written about why developers code and why they like it so much:

Nine things developers want more than money.
The One Characteristic A Developer Needs For A Successful Career.
Why Programming is Fun! (Dr. Dobb's Journal Link included)

I guess when you have been in this business for as long as I have, you realize how newbies and veterans code and you learn to adapt to it, discuss it, and enhance it to make a win-win situation for everyone.

As for the installation of additional software, I completely agree with you on that behalf. In regards to programming though, I've always loved developing applications/web sites (and no, it's not a power trip).

Sorry to disagree with you, Jeff, but not every programmer hates to code or hates software.

Why ARE you a programmer? Share your thoughts below in the comments.

Columbus IT Martini heading to Cincinnati

Jonathan Danylko — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The Columbus IT Martini is heading out. Sign up to head from Columbus to Cincinnati with us.

The IT Martini is an IT Community formed by John Bishop and Aladin Gohar in Columbus, Ohio. I've gone to a couple of IT Martinis and they definitely provide the IT community with an exciting network experience every time I go.

This time around, John and Aladin set up a round-trip bus to take everyone from Columbus to Cincinnati. We will be arriving in Cincinnati at the Havana Martini Club and watching what IT Professionals have contributed to the world.

If you are in the Columbus area and interested in going on Thursday, July 30, 2009, there is a special code you can enter when signing up. I'm sure you'll agree that it was worth signing up. ;-)

If you are in Columbus and want to go, enter in the code: DANYLKO1 when asked for a promo code.

However, if you are a Cincinnati local, you don't have to go far. There is a special code for local Cincy people as well. Enter in the code: CINCY-DANYLKO1 when asked for a promo code.

Register for the IT Martini as either a Cincinnati or Columbus individual.

As I said before, you won't be disappointed. If you are interested in finding out more about the event, head over to the IT Martini web site and add it to you calendar.

Hope to see you there.

"A potentially dangerous Request.Form value was detected from the client" fix for ASP.NET MVC

Jonathan Danylko — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Here is a gotcha that I found while I had my "WebForms" hat on.

I've been working on a project and got the dreaded error:

"A potentially dangerous Request.Form value was detected from the client"

Well, after trying the "<@page validateRequest="false"...>", I realized that didn't work. So I started looking through the code and found the attribute:

[ValidateRequest(false)]

You need to attach the ValidateRequest(false) attribute to the method that is receiving the post.

Problem solved.

NOTE: However, make sure you are catching any type of malicious injections that could occur.

IE6: The Roadkill of Corporations

Jonathan Danylko — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Most corporations are still using IE6. Why? It's old technology! Move forward!

If you've been developing web sites for a while and keep up with the web, you may have noticed a recent upheaval with the IT industry regarding updating browsers...specifically Internet Explorer 6 (IE6).

Heck, I thought Microsoft had this taken care of with their updating process through Windows.

Yes, I can hear everyone screaming at their workplace that it's the "man" holding them down from updating their browser. Certain companies control what a user can and can't install on their computers which is understandable. But, because of that, we now have a ton of web developers supporting every frickin' IE browser out there.

A note to corporations...PLEASE kick IE6 to the side of the road of the information superhighway! It's roadkill. Please upgrade your users!

What?!?!?

You're saying you don't want to? Is your IT guy Milton from Office Space? He doesn't want to update the entire company's browser?

Oh boy...Ok, let me let you in on a little secret: The Internet is evolving! You need to update your browser to keep up with the Internet technologies for your company to survive.

Not only that, but Internet companies are not going to support IE6 any longer. Don't believe me? Even Google is asking users to drop IE6. We'll see what happens when YouTube's "plug is pulled" for IE6 users.

Here's comes the hard part to understand...these new browsers (even the old ones) are FREE. Why wouldn't companies upgrade to at least IE7? Am I missing something here? PICK ONE! Firefox, Opera, Safari, Chrome, and yes, even IE.

Need more proof? Well, it's getting pretty bad when people are building sites to convert IE6 users to a newer browser. It doesn't matter what browser...just upgrade!

The resistance from companies to remove IE6 is really beginning to scare me. Are we at a point where if IE6 was removed from all computers in corporations and replaced with IE7/IE8 that the economy would dip even lower because all web sites and applications using the IE6 engine would just up and die? Do we really have that many corporations still running IE6?

Right now, if you're still with me, you probably are looking for a reason to upgrade. I'm sorry, but I think I've given you just about every reason to upgrade to a decent browser that I can think of.

If someone is still clinging to IE6, it must be a religion or cult thing.

UPDATE: If you absolutely HAVE to use IE6, here is the Definitive Guide To Taming the IE6 Beast.

Does anyone have an opinion as to why companies are still clinging to IE6?

Programming Thought Of The Day for Twitter

Jonathan Danylko — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Share some of your questions, insights, philosophy, or advice.

I'm starting up a little "group" in Twitter for developers called the Programmer Thought of the Day (#PTOTD).

I already posted one, but if anyone wants to add additional thoughts under the Twitter #PTOTD hashtag, please do.

My Twitter handle is jdanylko

Hope to see ya on there.

Twitter: The Bird is the Word

Jonathan Danylko — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Twitter is tweeting...sorry...talking to a lot of companies!

Is everyone starting to talk like Elmer Fudd or what? Sheesh! :-)

Just a quick post about everything going on with Twitter. It doesn't surprise me that Twitter is talking to a number of different companies. Twitter's growth rate is downright scary.

And the big boys are taking notice.

The companies interested in purchasing Twitter see a lot of potential in such a tiny function. Twitter provides a ton of features that any company would love to acquire, such as:

Mini-blogging engine (mini as in 140 characters)
A complete search engine
Information organized by groups by the user
API data streams
Near real-time conversations (which is next, btw)

What company wouldn't want these features? Lately, it seems that the bird is the word....

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :-)

Along with the possible acquisition of Twitter, everyone wants to keep up with the Jones with the latest trends. Here are some sites that utilize Twitter to track trends on the Internet. You could even use them to track the Twitter acquisition?

Also, Tweet me if you get the chance. ;-)

Links for 2009-02-02 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 PST

5 ways to turn your layoff into an opportunity
Ahhh...a new year, new promise, new goals...new layoffs? What!!?!??!

Links for 2008-07-22 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT

The Dark Side of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - BTCloud
With everyone using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID wireless technology, be aware that hackers know it exists as well.

Links for 2008-03-13 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Outlook Alternatives: Moving from Outlook to Thunderbird
MS Outlook has been around for a long time, but maybe it's time for a little change.

Links for 2008-02-07 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST

Free Utilities for Burners and Your Network
Tired of your Roxio burning software? Need to document your network? Check out these free utilities.

Links for 2008-01-28 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

Why John Rambo is the Ultimate Freelancer
Here's some advice for freelancers on what to do and what not to do: John Rambo style.

Links for 2008-01-25 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

Firefox Optimization Add-Ons
Here is a list of Firefox extensions that answers a reader's email about optimizing web page load times.
Small Business Backup Lesson: DO IT NOW!
What disaster recovery steps did I take to make sure this disaster doesn't happen again?