Purpose: Discuss programming practices related to easier or harder reading and understanding of source code written in any programming language.
Sarnold on 2006-10-28
Regardless the language, source code might be either well, or badly understood.
Yes, you can write good assembly code. Yes, you can write obscure high level code.
The contrary is also true.
Tcl programs usually look nice.
But you can obfuscate them as well. Some argue that Tcl's syntax is weird, and I can understand their complain when they come to Tcl from a C/C++/Java world. That is because, to be powerful, Tcl needs this sort of weirdness. It absolutely go off the road, and it is the right way.
(Except when complex algorithm means intensive computing, or algorithmically unsolvable). A clean way means all kinds of code quality : commenting, easy to read and to maintain, functional quality, stability.
Unwilling obfuscating
You may design a program very well in terms of modularity, and yes, that is a big win. But while designing a lot of procedures in this spirit, you think the code itself is its commenting, and leave large parts uncommented.
Six months later, you have to refresh your mind to dive into the code, and have no time to comment it. That's life.
Unwilling commenting
That is a strong argument when someone decides to use a language: a clear syntax. You write a program that seems to do exactly what you (and the client) wanted, even when you review it six months later.
Marketing people tell you : in this language, nothing is too hard to understand, everything is obvious when you read someone else's code (an often cited argument against Perl). IMHO, every single language has a domain in which he performs well regarding to this argument, including Perl and Tcl.
DISCUSSION
Often, an easy-to-understand syntax builds a strong community, look at Python guys. In my opinion, Python/Visual Basic users do not share the same context than Tcl/Scheme users. This is a point of view that programmers that did never practice a powerful, minimalist language like Tcl cannot understand.
Many programmers do not want their code difficult to read or to maintain, that is reasonable. But much of these programmers do not want to learn abstract or algorithmic concepts - you won't hear marketing people telling them This language benefits from closures or In this language, everything is a string. Advanced programming concepts solve real problems. "everything is a string" too.
That's not sad, anyway. Tcl' strengths are unique. Its community is open-minded. Tcllib and Tk are great.
-- 2006-10-28 Sarnold
See Tcl Style Guide, Comparing Tcl with Python.