Re:DRY is an over-rated programming principle?
by hinkley on Thursday July 07, 2022 @04:28PM
(#32018910)
While it is a little easier to deal with flat data than tree data, the real test of this comes when you process the data.
Trees invite recursion, and as the logic grows telling what is going on gets more and more difficult. While it's easier to process trees recursively, it is possible to iterate over it. It's easier to process lists iteratively, but it is possible to handle them recursively. Some people do, much to the detriment of all of their coworkers.
I'm trying to unwind some filthy recursive code on a side project at work. There were two bugs I knew about going in, and two more have been found since, while removing mutually recursive code in favor of self recursion, and then modifying that to iteration.
Iteration is much, much easier to scale to add additional concerns. Dramatically so when in a CD environment where a change or addition needs to be launched darkly. Lists can help, especially with how carefully you have to watch the code. They're not the only solution, they're just the easiest one to explain without offering a demonstration.
Trees invite recursion, and as the logic grows telling what is going on gets more and more difficult. While it's easier to process trees recursively, it is possible to iterate over it. It's easier to process lists iteratively, but it is possible to handle them recursively. Some people do, much to the detriment of all of their coworkers.
I'm trying to unwind some filthy recursive code on a side project at work. There were two bugs I knew about going in, and two more have been found since, while removing mutually recursive code in favor of self recursion, and then modifying that to iteration.
Iteration is much, much easier to scale to add additional concerns. Dramatically so when in a CD environment where a change or addition needs to be launched darkly. Lists can help, especially with how carefully you have to watch the code. They're not the only solution, they're just the easiest one to explain without offering a demonstration.