Comments on: Consider Each Refactoring a "Tiny Experiment" http://pathfindersoftware.com/2007/09/consider-each-r/ The Fastest Way to Launch Successful Software Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:36:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ivan Moscoso http://pathfindersoftware.com/2007/09/consider-each-r/#comment-6959 Ivan Moscoso Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:40:44 +0000 http://www.pathf.com/blogs/?p=260#comment-6959 <p>There have been times where I found myself digging a rabbit hole and forget what I've changed and how I got there. However, the fact that I have gone so far without checking in that I can either not remember what I've changed (or not be able to hold those changes in my head) suggests to me that I am lacking clarify of thought. It's usually the act of starting over that forces me to rethink what I did. Scribbling notes or talking through it with another developer for a few minutes, but the task at hand has to be manageable enough that I can remember exactly what changes I made.</p> <p>I used to keep these experiments around (for posterity, I imagine), but eventually noticed all these things were just collecting dust. Others keep code snippets around much longer, but as for me, once I feel that I have learned some lesson through the code, the "experiment" has fulfilled its purpose and can usually go away.</p> There have been times where I found myself digging a rabbit hole and forget what I’ve changed and how I got there. However, the fact that I have gone so far without checking in that I can either not remember what I’ve changed (or not be able to hold those changes in my head) suggests to me that I am lacking clarify of thought. It’s usually the act of starting over that forces me to rethink what I did. Scribbling notes or talking through it with another developer for a few minutes, but the task at hand has to be manageable enough that I can remember exactly what changes I made.

I used to keep these experiments around (for posterity, I imagine), but eventually noticed all these things were just collecting dust. Others keep code snippets around much longer, but as for me, once I feel that I have learned some lesson through the code, the “experiment” has fulfilled its purpose and can usually go away.

]]> By: greggT http://pathfindersoftware.com/2007/09/consider-each-r/#comment-6958 greggT Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:41:06 +0000 http://www.pathf.com/blogs/?p=260#comment-6958 <p>so if you're reverting constantly, how do you remember what you've changed? don't you lose track of mini experiments, or confuse one experiment with the next, or need to compare the results of various experiments? do you use a logbook to record (or, as you would say, "invest in") changes? </p> <p>sometimes i'll tar up just the relevant source code and their respective output files, to compare later, if i've forgotten which changes produced good results. rarely do i find that source control is lightweight enough to support an experimental checkin -- it requires a branch and that's too much wasted thought.</p> so if you’re reverting constantly, how do you remember what you’ve changed? don’t you lose track of mini experiments, or confuse one experiment with the next, or need to compare the results of various experiments? do you use a logbook to record (or, as you would say, “invest in”) changes?

sometimes i’ll tar up just the relevant source code and their respective output files, to compare later, if i’ve forgotten which changes produced good results. rarely do i find that source control is lightweight enough to support an experimental checkin — it requires a branch and that’s too much wasted thought.

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