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Subject:   Can't agree in general
Date:   2003-08-04 06:13:31
From:   anonymous2
Hmm. You're assuming that the person (or persons) ahead of you in the process chain are all deep thinkers and that they don't make mistakes or errors in judgement. Essentially, you assuming that all your inputs are perfect. Not alway the case, I'm afraif.
There are a lot of knuckleheads out there - that's why troubleshooting guides often start with 'Ensure the unit is ....'.
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  • Andy Lester photo Can't agree in general
    2003-08-04 06:49:26  Andy Lester | O'Reilly AuthorO'Reilly Blogger [View]

    That's my very point. If someone says "Can't you just...", it's a flag that they've made an error in judgement. More importantly, if we as programmers find ourselves thinking "Can't I just...", we've probably made our own errors.
    • Can't agree in general
      2003-08-05 05:03:01  anonymous2 [View]

      Yup. Only when absolutely sure that *I* cannot say "Can't I just ..." should I be infuriated by someone else saying "Can't you just ...".

      An example: I've got a neat new IP phone connected to an expensive, and powerful VOIP PBX. The feature set on the phone is magnificent! I'm sure it reads minds! However, I'm perfectly justified in saying to its designers "Can't you just put some damn LEDs on it so I can tell which lines are active/ringing/on hold. They're cheap, and if you can change the contrast of the LCD screen next to the line buttons surely you could light up an added LED."

      My point is: sometimes people can't see the wood for the trees. Sometime they miss the obvious stuff and when they do it's a little silly to be annoyed by someone ponting that out by saying "Can't you just ..."
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