Code snippets versus compilable code: This is the last, I promise.
My intent was to provide code snippets, not compilable code. And I really think that is the more valuable option. Code snippets provide insight into clever and interesting ways of doing things that may be unfamiliar to others. If I see a code snippet, I can study it and gain insights how I might make use of a technique to idea. True, I can do the same with a compilable, executable sample, but my thought process is different. I prefer sections of code that demonstrate a strategy, technique or idea.
As for contributions to MSDN forums, I want to encourage others to contribute their code snippets so everyone benefits. The last thing I want to do discourage contributions.
I'm not trying to offend anyone but let me raise a couple of examples here in our little thread.
One user asked the original participant what he meant by MFT. Can we not expect of each other that if we didn't know what an MFT was that they would try a simple search like "Microsoft windows MFT" and read through some of the hits.
In a like vein, how much effort would it take to determine the types of some of the variables not defined in the code snippets that I provided. I'm a developer, I write code because I like to and because I get paid to write code. I have benefited greatly from the ideas of others who have contributed to forums like this. I think we need to raise the level interaction, the level of the questions, so they reflect a little effort on the part of the participants. To ask a question, the answer for which we could easily determine for ourselves, diminishes us all.
I would like someone to take my code snippets and suggest improvements. I may agree or challenge. But we would all benefit from the exercise.
Thanks for the opportunity to express these thoughts.
My intent was to provide code snippets, not compilable code. And I really think that is the more valuable option. Code snippets provide insight into clever and interesting ways of doing things that may be unfamiliar to others. If I see a code snippet, I can study it and gain insights how I might make use of a technique to idea. True, I can do the same with a compilable, executable sample, but my thought process is different. I prefer sections of code that demonstrate a strategy, technique or idea.
As for contributions to MSDN forums, I want to encourage others to contribute their code snippets so everyone benefits. The last thing I want to do discourage contributions.
I'm not trying to offend anyone but let me raise a couple of examples here in our little thread.
One user asked the original participant what he meant by MFT. Can we not expect of each other that if we didn't know what an MFT was that they would try a simple search like "Microsoft windows MFT" and read through some of the hits.
In a like vein, how much effort would it take to determine the types of some of the variables not defined in the code snippets that I provided. I'm a developer, I write code because I like to and because I get paid to write code. I have benefited greatly from the ideas of others who have contributed to forums like this. I think we need to raise the level interaction, the level of the questions, so they reflect a little effort on the part of the participants. To ask a question, the answer for which we could easily determine for ourselves, diminishes us all.
I would like someone to take my code snippets and suggest improvements. I may agree or challenge. But we would all benefit from the exercise.
Thanks for the opportunity to express these thoughts.