owenSoft.net - homepage filter

54 - 46 (was my number) (Logbook)

2008-10-08 12:08:14

Its not that I have a problem with waiting, I just have things to do, except when there is a hurricane. Which is why I like hurricanes so much. Ideas come to me in my sleep like nightmares - suddenly and sporadically like a monkey. I have to rid myself of them or they'll fester. People will then notice that I'm not listening to what they have to say, but instead writing little notes on the back of my hand.

People tend to say the same things, over and over, in slightly different ways. Like flashing lights. Don't be surprised that I'm not surprised when you say that you got kicked in the ovaries - you had it coming. Karma Police. Your a bueatiful child. Someone is trying to tell you something. They are writing messages on the walls and sidewalks of the places we live. We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind, 'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance, Well they're no friends of mine.

Yesterday my sedentary lifestyle was interrupted by an extended meeting up at the water pond. Followed by a "lunch road trip". Followed by a post meeting road trip. Followed by a transportation detour. All these accompanied by indefinite periods of waiting. All I have to say is that I'm not pleased. Compounded by the fact that I have to be staying up late at night getting high like paper.

By owen on Logbook

Black Picture Frames (The random photo journal)

2008-10-04 16:55:55

can do no evil

By owen on The random photo journal

buy low sell high? (Questions)

2008-10-01 11:43:41

so now that markets are crashing wouldn't it be a great time to buy some stocks and real estate?

By GC on Questions

So males do you after females that ignore you? (Questions)

2008-09-29 20:26:34

Individuals have a tendency to say that males dont really like females who push themselves unto them. They most times think that they are easy and take them for a one night stand. The pay more attention to the females who ignore them. And that they put more effort into getting her. So males do you or do you not go after females that ignore you?

By crazychick on Questions

Managing complexity in Software Development (Articles)

2008-09-26 10:56:20

In programming, sooner or later you will come up with a solution to a problem that is somewhat "complex". The said solution may be advantageous to the program in various ways. The thing to note is that you should ensure that his complexity is "contained". Far too often software developers let a complex solution to a simple problem seep in to the body of the program itself. As a result making the entire program unecessarily complex. Miracle solutions are proposed to increase productivity through various catch words that end with "-ibility".

For example the index page of my website is probably the most complex page in the entire website. Yet the website itself is quiet simple. The index page was not quite as complex as it was now. Originally it was a series of IF statements that directed the visitor to a requested page based on various parameters. IF PAGE == ABOUT THEN LOAD ABOUTPAGE. It was really REALLY simple. One day I realised that if I could find a uniformed way of determining the next page then I could replace all the IF statement was a controller or MVC (as they call it now a days). The new solution required careful thought.

As with every line of code or function created there are things to consider;

How is changing this page going to make the other existing pages BETTER.

How is changing this page going to make the other existing pages WORST.

how is changing this page going to affect the quality of code as a whole.

Will changing this page make the other pages more complex or less complex.

These are important points to consider when dealing with complexity. You should always beware of things that may unessarily complicate the entire program offering shortterm benefit but long term headache. If I had suddenly woke up and decided to change the index page to use a random MVC without considering how the actual MVC would affect the complexity of the program itself then I would have made a grave mistake which leads to people discontinuing software a year after it was implemented.

All things must be considered in light of the shortterm and the longterm when developing software. A piece of software that starts out complex will not get simpler as you develop it.Keep the simple parts simple It will only get more complicated until it collapses under the wieght of its own complexity. In the same light something very simple can be complicated by a misplaced bottle neck in the system that was implemented on a "whim". Implementing features on a "whim" or ad hoc without considering its benefits is the fastest way to complicate what was once a simple program. Keep your eye on the important parts of the program to ensure that it remains simple and that any complex algorithms and concepts are "Functionalized" away from the program's core purpose.

In the case of my index page (which loads all the other pages) it may seem to be against what I just said - a very complicated concept deep within the core of the application. The thing to note is that the index page itself is a FUNCTION. What it does is completely independent of the program. It can easily be replaced because the other pages are not affected by it, nor thou or both shall go with him. hmmm. It is a function. An important function but a function none the less. The other pages on the site are unaware of its existance and so are not affected by any low level changes that I make to it. The sub pages behave as if they are in a vacuum, unaffected by the index page. It is not a typical MVC that seeks to solve a problem by controlling/limiting structure rather than providing a genuine solution to the structure problem.

What I could have done and what most people do is make the index into a class. And then enslave other pages into a "house of cards" situation. Now instead of isolating the solution to a problem of IF statements - the programmer ends up complicating the entire program in order to simplify it. I am not saying that wide spread refractoring is not necessary. I am saying that the inplementing complex solutions to a problem should not be allowed to complicate the program as a whole. Find a way to solve the problem without creating thousands of little problems/new workflows in the progress. Alot of this is explained to more dept in software engineering anti-patterns

Now for the code.

Here I will list elements that add complexity when writing programs;

IF THEN ELSE Statements: Avoid having a catch all "else" statement. Usually it leads to logic bugs and poor clean up.

Avoid unecessary class implementations: There is nothing more annoying than having to do a "new" every single time you want to use a base class. Its pointless. If you only need one instance at a time why is it a class? Make a single function that manages itself. Always ensure that you know the ;why" behind everything you program so that you can better make it when it needs to change.

Avoid giving yourself future work or more per-module work: Now I understand that some people like the whole "house of cards" thing but really now. It is easy to copy development documents off the internet and pass then off as your own but hard to implement something that you have no expirence in using.

Avoid doing the same thing over and over with slight per-module changes: This is a another sign of a train wreak waiting to happen. Sooner or later you are going to have to refactor all those slight changes and you will realize that 3 lines at the top of every module was simply there to make you feel productive but added nothing to the program.

Avoid tight coupling of you classes. This often occurs by using checked exceptions to force calling processes to handle them. Hence causing every calling program to be tied to a useless/decorative exception tree of choas.

Avoid eating you own dog food: I cannot stress this enough.

Avoid fragmenting processes: There are times when you may be tempted to create a function for the purpose of simplifing a process. This usually happens when you have so much code that its difficult to really keep track of what is going on. In such a case avoid creating singleton functions that look like functions but are infact big GOTO statements. These singleton functions usually have to be called in a specific order and a specific custom object has to passed to them. Its better to just keep it all in one function with good documentation. Ten random singleton functions are neither helpful nor do make the program easier to read/manage.

Avoid classes with too many setup functions: Some may think its a good idea but classes should manage as much of its internal processes as possible. Avoid;

c = new calc class;

c.setid(10);

c.setname('test');

c.getdata();

c.getresultset();

ans = c.calculate();

Its better to create a function called ans = calculate_test(10, 'test'); Not only do you have less lines of code (per call) but the test calculation process is encapsulated.

Avoid try-catch-throw logic: if a function is boolean it should return true or false. It shouldn't throw random exceptions to the calling function. Try-catchs are often used as a lazy form of IF-ELSE. Situations like this should be avoided for the same reason as mention before.

Avoid bandaid errors, hiding errors and non-specific error messages. A system is not secure if its errors need to be a secret. Having clear error messages allows for quickly identifying problems during the development and testing phase and evening during the life of the system. Searching through log files for errors that could have been easily displayed to the user is a waste of time. Critical errors can be missed that are hidden for years in log files and catch statements. The last thing you want is someone to be calling you in the middle of the night about some program that you wrote 5 years ago. Assume All errors are fatal!

Assume all errors are fatal. Often times errors are ignored or logged at lower levels of the program and the program is allowed to continue. This is often done to prevent the program from crashing. PROGRAMS CRASH its what they do when something is wrong. It is more important in program processes to identify WHEN a error occurs as opposed to the order. Log files are good are error order but poor for edge case event errors.

Conclusion

If your going down the wrong road it never too late to turn back. A poorly written program is only good as long as no one knows about it. You can throw as much RAM or HARDWARE at it as you want. Sooner or later it will get replaced by a off the shelf software that is probably JUST AS BAD OR WORST THAN your custom developed software. And the software you wrote will be just another skeleton in your closet. The main difference will be that the off the shelf software has learned to manage its complexity, increase flexibility while meeting user requirements.

Often times there is nothing you can do but to just run with what you have, make as much documentation as you can and pray for the future developers.

By owen on Articles

God Does Answer Prayers (Logbook)

2008-09-19 21:54:13

There is this man at school who has been trying endlessly to get with some of the students from last year;I just happen to be one of those students.I have ridiculed,ignored and even taken advantage of the fact that he wants to get with me.When I left the school I was so overjoyed. I bought myself lunch at Fridays and topped it off with a slice of Coconut cake at Devon House. But then due to circumstances beyond my control I have to return to the same school and guess what he will still be there.I stood in disaray as I watched my hopes falling to the floor like a glass;shattered to pieces.

A conversation developed between us where in which I was told that he is ignoring me because I broke his heart. I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the chair that I sat on. How can I break something that wasnt whole in the first place? His heart is in little bits and pieces and he cant put it back together because he cant find the missing pieces of the puzzle he calls a heart.

While trying to talk his way into the cold dark vacuum that now occupies the spot where my heart used to be a young lady walked in. Now,this young lady isnt more than 16 and he is 30 something. They start talking he whispers in her ears and stuff next thing I know she start writing down digits. So I was like watch him. Typical Male! As I could say that;while turning off the AC he hit up his genitals. All I could say is God does answer prayers.

By crazychick on Logbook

Memories forever cherished! (Logbook)

2008-09-17 22:16:17

Memories forever cherished are the memories that were created while I was around you.They will go unaltered,unchanged,frozen in reality but constantly moving in my thoughts.If I had a picture frame I would frame it for the world to see.

These memories have taught me to push every minute to the limit.To cherish and savour every second that I get to spend with someone dear to me.I spent a moment with you where,the world stopped spinning for a while.At that moment I had a whole new perception,a different view of you.I was captivated in your eyes.I saw me through you."beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."I became aware of my beauty in your eyes!

If I could do it all over again would I do it the same way?A question I often ask myself. Yes,I would try to correct the mistake that I made.In regards to the moments that we spent together,the verbal exchange we had on the phone I remain untouch, all I would do is pray,hope and work towards us having some more moments like the ones that we had.

By crazychick on Logbook

Have they stopped manufacturing Horlicks? (Questions)

2008-09-17 12:23:11

Because I can't find any.

By Tami on Questions

A Beggars Paradise (Blog Jamaica)

2008-09-16 15:43:41

Now I often end up at places against my will because I'm not driving anymore. People who drive tend to lie when you ask them how long the "little detour" is going to take. Before I notice it I usually end up half the way across Kingston in a bad side of town. Other times somebody will spot the elusive mechanic that has no cellphone and proceed to convene a meeting or solve a quadratic equation.

On this occasion someone HAD TO HAVE their prescription filled at 10o'clock in the night. York Pharmacy had apparently run out of pills for that particular MENTAL CONDITION so established rules had to be broken. At this point in our little story is where the detour began like a headache brought on by dry erasable markers. By the time we reached Liguanea I had lost track of the time, accepting my fate, contemplating possible roots of escape at this god forsaken hour.

There was a pharmacy, somewhere there, not sure exactly but the parking space was slightly inclined in front of the entrance, so you had to park facing outward - I couldn't see the drug deal taking place inside. I waited, keeping my eye on the local car washer/general idler (its hard to tell nowadays, I try not to judge people by the bucket they carry, could have been salt beef or mutton). On my left were empty parking lots and on right where four (4) cars. A woman in a small SUV came stopped in front, constantly brushing her hair back with her hand while looking in to the rare view mirror. Apparently she was waiting for someone to come out of the pharmacy, a hot date or something and she wanted to look proper. At this point I realized that I had left downtown and had ended up in "North Coast Kingston".

After about 10 minutes of watching the woman adjust her frilly hair with no apparent effect, I virtually gave up on trying to decipher what she was trying to achieve. It was at this point I noticed a woman siting 2 cars away from me in a silver car - an old Lancer. I came to know her as Marlene (or I may have forgotten her name ). She was 40 plus black woman with a unusual foreign accent, lived somewhere in Spanish Town, had just brought her father to the hospital and had the ability to talk. Had I known I probably would not have talked to her in the first place but its hard to avoid people who are in your direct line of site.

10 minutes go by. Apparently Marlene had just recently left her house to rush her dad to the hospital and in "haste" forgot to bring gas money with her so she is sitting in the parking lot awaiting for a "Good Samaritan" to help her out. It was all too suspicious. I wished her luck and proceeded to derail the conversation by talking about religion and faith - I was not in the good Samaritan mood tonight - it seemed all too convenient - especially since I offered her 200 and she said she needed more like 300 so to reduce the chance that she would run out of gas in a "bad area" on the way home. I wished her luck again. I couldn't go anywhere and she had already been there for a couple hours (so she said). I was trapped.

We talked about money and problems and her husband in England. She was far to intelligent, the longer I stayed they the greater the chance I would break. I meet a large amount of random interesting people, often only once, like a paper plane, never in the same place or time. I began to contemplate how profitable her little business venture would be - it was too genius - find a mall, late at night, somewhere uptown, park, wait for them to initiate intercourse, hustle unsuspecting dudes for gas money - I wonder if she has a pimp? hmm. I even began to doubt myself - she was too calm, collected, sure of herself like a brick house - I had to leave ASAP. A couple minutes later I told her that I hope her good Samaritan comes along, waved good bye to her. I have come to no conclusion.

By owen on Blog Jamaica

Cellphones, what are they good for? (Questions)

2008-09-13 09:01:25

Lets discuss

By owen on Questions

Warwick Avenue (Logbook)

2008-09-12 17:15:21

It was about the same time as I took the picture (or a little after) that I got the message that my phone is out of storage space. A shock ran through my body as if a warm, fresh batch of dog urine had seeped up through my socks. It had to happen sooner or later as if by design. Now I have to put to rest everything that is in the phone, get a new one, start a new, way more fresher. It has to die for it's sins.

Every since I got it I had been taking "in the moment" pictures. Little slices of time and space like a fat girl loves cake. So that in the end, I can pull a clean sheet out of my pocket and write down all that we have achieved, all that we have seen, cause we are nothing but the sum of the things we give away. To whom much is given, much is tested.

Usually when this happens it leads to a war with myself as to what to get next. The devil will try to break me down. Only time will tell what dreams may come. A game in my mind, Sharona. Usually in my head the battle is the between the wise decision and the stupid decision. The functionality over design, the simplicity over art. There is never a perfect choice but lots chances to settle.

By owen on Logbook

yea (BodyShots)

2008-09-11 11:51:20

I don't have a tattoo, so this is the best I could do.

By Karl on BodyShots

September 2008 - Bodyshots Live (ChangeLog)

2008-09-07 14:10:39

The BodyShots category is active. I still haven't gotten back my camera. Will somebody please christen the category with a picture that sets the precedence. Lets pray this doesn't turn bad.

I also changed the home page making it simpler and lighter. Its like 4 kb with rotating images using jquery. yay for jquery.

NB. Also note that the images you upload should be in landscape form. meaning that they should not be portrait or this is going to happen.

The "are you sure?" javascript popup confirmation was also removed as per request by the lazy people.

By owen on ChangeLog

1, 2, 3, 4 sweep in 100m in Belgium (Blog Jamaica)

2008-09-05 15:12:56

Seems evident that no matter were those 2 are everybody will try to avoid the fireworks. I just happen to decide to eat fast food for lunch. Deciding to buy the same thing somewhere else. Not remembering about a race that was about to happen at 1:25 pm. I had over heard my co-workers calculate the global time difference between Jamaica and Brussels, Belgium.

It seems divine intervention place me in direct view of the television as I sat down to eat in front of a woman with a bad weave. I looked up at the television and saw them introducing the athletes. At the same time I remembered about the race.

I looked around and nobody seemed to notice that the race was about to start. As soon as I motioned to the hairdicaped woman that the race was about to start it seem that collective consciousness of the all the people in the general area swarm into the food court.

I had to be directing people no to block my view of the television. What was once a empty lobby had become a school of onlookers. I hope the race would start soon but apparently EVERYBODY knew about it. It was like the Olympics all over again. Eventually it started; Powell in front, Bolt catches and passes, the entire building ca lapses. It was 9.77 seconds of pure bueaty. It was only after the fact that we had noticed that Jamaica won all 3 medals and came in 4 and 8 just to make sure. I'm almost positive another Jamaican won a gold medal in the hurdles but by then everybody had disbursed. Seems that the Bolt-Powell combination over shadows all.

Either way Jamaica "Going On".

2 di weeeerrrrlll!

By owen on Blog Jamaica

Crazy Trolley People (The random photo journal)

2008-08-31 17:27:14

In preparation for Gustav, the Crazy Trolley People came out at the supermarket.

The lines extended into the aisles while other's figured they were smart and tried to skip people who were already standing in line for more than 1/2 hour to get their stuff cashed. Of course, crazy argument broke out. This happens whenever there's a Storm/ Hurricane threat.

There should be a council to regulate Trolley people and protect their rights of space in the line.

By Tami on The random photo journal