[josm-dev] Spaghetti code

[Dirk Stöcker]

On Thu, 5 Feb 2009, Raphael Mack wrote:

> That said, a few words about mine. I know a bit of Java and Software
> Engineering and even have (may be had) an svn account for the josm repo.
> The feature I ever missed in JOSM was to be able to select gpx points
> and delete some of them from a track, before uploading it to the OSM
> server directly from JOSM.
> I wanted to implement this in a way, that satisfies me. But it came
> differently. I tried hard, two or three times last year, but gradually
> changing the design to be able to select every thing (OSM primitives,
> GpxPoints, Markers, OpenStreeBugs, ...) that is on the map in JOSM (on
> one layer); without braking things like the selection dialog or
> essential editing features was not possible for me. It would have been a
> big change, and I was not able to keep up with the changes of other
> people in the repo and get my rework done. Of course I did not invest my
> full work force but OSM is still one of many hobbies...
>
> _Maybe_, cleaning up the design, before trying to implement a new
> feature would have been simpler. Even though (or because) the only
> benefit would have been a cleaner design. - In my eyes it still needs a
> major rework of the design to implement selection cleanly. But you may
> show me - and all others who are interested in selecting other things
> than OSM primitives - that the approach of small changes without "design
> cleanup" before can bring such new functionality. Whether it satisfies
> my personal demands for code quality doesn't matter anymore, since I am
> not the one to do it.

Nothing against design cleanup. You have (had) a valid target which could 
not be reached, so the design cleanup is fine. Doing cleanups in little 
steps to reach that goal is a fine approach.

What Frederik (and I myself also) are against is doing such reworks 
without purpose (only to have nice style).

Even if your interest dies in the middle of preparing your changes, then 
still half of the work is done and can be continued. I was really 
surprised that you did not commit your changes last year as I knew they 
have not been complete, but I considered them to be usable (i.e. they did 
not make the situation worse even if the goal was not reached totally.

Ciao
-- 
http://www.dstoecker.eu/ (PGP key available)