Thursday, March 19, 2009

Coding post

I don't usually like to write about my problems with coding, but this morning I have an overwhelming sense of dread for the upcoming day that involves writing computer code (or debugging it, I should say).

It starts with the fact that I am writing in a system that I don't fully understand, and unless I took four months to do nothing but learn it, I never will (and I won't because then I would have wasted four months not doing physics). So I rely on what others tell me, and for the most part, this works.

Additionally, the code I am currently working on was inherited from someone else, who had started it but then I took over to "perfect" it. Many of the most important parts were already in there (in fact, it was at a "working" stage in a sense when I got it), so I just had a few other things to add.

Now to the problem. There may be something that was implemented in the actual code I inherited, and this is related to a lack of understanding in the overall system. Now, this is a real problem because the person who I go to for all my understanding is the one who is confused as well. Also, there are quite likely problems deep down, and I'll not be able to figure them out myself. So I've stalled.

This was figured out last night, so I had many dreams about all of this stuff. It is driving me nuts, and well, I have a day ahead of me where I will probably just be figuring this out. The worst part is that nothing can probably be done until after lunch.

by Topher at 10:11 AM |