copy/paste programmers?

[jack]

inspired by the comment by José Roca http://www.planetsquires.com/protect/forum/index.php?topic=4214.msg32363#msg32363 , I did a web search and found some interesting comments on the subject, hope that you may find them entertaining
https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/87696/is-copy-paste-programming-bad
https://daedtech.com/the-myth-of-quick-copy-and-paste-programming/
https://www.quora.com/I-am-a-copy-and-paste-developer-how-do-I-become-a-real-software-developer

[José Roca]

There is nothing wrong to reuse code as long as you bother to understand what the code does. When you try to learn how to use a procedure, often the documentation isn't enough and you need some sample code.

As I see it, the problem is that many people aren't willing to learn. They use visual designers and fill properties instead of coding, and when they have to do something that can't be done filling a property, they are more lost than a shrimp in the desert. RAD tools should be employed to save time when doing repetitive tasks, not as a way of not having to learn programming.

[JRS]

I was able to reuse the graphics engine from an early BBC BASIC interpreter for Linux in SDL as an extension module
before Richard wrote his own Linux BBC BASIC. I also created a standard shared object (.so) for languages like BaCon to use.

[AlyssonR]

I only copy/paste code from other programmers when I'm trying to get my head wrapped around some problem that I never met before.

I then hack at it until it's broken ... and try again and again until I understand what it does from module.name to .end

After that, I'll (usually) re-write the code, fixing all of the variables and so forth in order to then use and re-use the new code in my projects.

The exception, of course, is libraries, which are pre-packaged and intended to be ready for re-use.

[Chris Boss]

My thoughts on this in a Code project article:

https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/1098143/Copy-and-Paste-A-Programmers-Nightmare

[JRS]

If I was Moses and lived to 900 years, I might agree with you. Your method is a sure way to learn Windows API programming if you still believe that Windows has a future.

[AlyssonR]

For me, Windows has a future.

Not much of one, to be sure as I will almost certainly be moving over to Linux when I no longer have a machine with Win7 on it (I refuse to go to WinSpy .... ummm .... Win10).

After that, I'm not sure that I'll be willing to learn the programming of, beyond my immediate needs.

[Aurel]

Don't worry about windows it will survive but linux with just 2-4% of PC is on thin ice
he..he what kind of American you are John....
ahhh ..yeah..in most movies there is no Windows than Mac and unixoids give mea break.

[jack]

please stop the off-topic posts, see the thread title.

[Aurel]

Sorry Jack it's just my reaction on John post...

..on topic
Everyone use some sort of copy/paste especially when start with something new
in programming and that is the easy way to learn things.
So nothing unusual 

[jack]

yes, I agree with you José Roca and Chris Boss, the problem arises when someone is not willing to learn.

[JRS]

It can be scary for some leaving their comfort zone.

[Arnold]

Using Oxygenbasic, copy and paste will not be sufficient most of the time.  O2 is a bit like C, Asm, Basic, C++, Java etc, but it is not identical. Even after copy and paste, some preparations will probably be necessary in order to run the code. But O2 is versatile, and thus many ways for a solution can be found. As there is a lack of ready-to-use libraries or header files at the moment which could be used e.g. for WinApi programming, there are a lot of possibilities to do research in this field, applying either structured or object-oriented programming. It is very educational for a hobbyist like me.

But probably it will be difficult these days to discover new algorithms for already solved problems. Therefore I apply copy and paste most of the time. This does not mean that I would copy 50000 lines of code - I will never need so many lines.

[JRS]

Many of the Script BASIC C extension modules I created were front ended (gcc pre-processor) code translated into C BASIC for readability and ease of expanding.

I try to limit as much as possible writing code from scratch. I reuse old similar projects if I can and search the net to see what's out there. Mostly what I'm looking for concept and what the code is written in is irrelevant.