[clug] July Programming SIG: the fourteen principles for new programmers

[jm]

Sam Couter wrote:

>> You may find it easier to not tell your
>> management about the first one in case they want to keep it.
> 

> It's often very hard for non-technical people to accept that you're going
> to throw away what looks to them like a system that very nearly works.
> You need to explain to them that the value isn't in the code, it's in
> what you and your organisation learned building it. The next one will be
> better.

As you pointed out this "rule" is really about prototyping. As you also 
point out non-technical management may have a problem differentiating 
between prototype and final program, especially when the two programs 
seem to do the same thing and your pushed for time. I once had a 
conversation with a potential investor about this when I used the 
expression "throw the first one away" when explaining why I had a 
allowed for a prototype in the timeline I was presenting. Even at that 
stage he wished to use the prototype!

I agree you shouldn't need to hide things.

Jeff.