[nos-bbs] Re: xNOS Bugs!

[Barry Siegfried]

["George (Skip) VerDuin" <k8rra at ameritech.net> wrote]:

> thanks for the detailed response.
> You have confirmed much of what I have seen.
> You also raise pertinent questions for resolution as change is
> considered.
>
> The basic observations you make, and my original premise are quite
> at odds.  Perhaps you and I need to agree to disagree?
>
> On one point I will give no quarter:
>
> --> If software is documented to work in some way then it had better
> perform as documented.  And to that end I'm open to doing the labor
> of changing documentation as you have read...

Yes indeed!  Adequate documentation is the most difficult part of
creating software and is often left to somebody other than the
code writer.  Usually, this individual is somebody who is detail
oriented and who has enough passion about user interface to the
software that he wants the documentation for it to be perfect.
And perhaps the reason that the code writer often does not get
around to writing adequate documentation is that he can always
read the code to find out how things are "really" programmed
(notice I didn't say "how things are supposed to work" :).

> On the capabilities of *nos - I'm only focused on jnos2.x and I will
> not easily accept the premise that it needs to exist with present
> limitations.

You don't have to accept anything you don't want to.  I am just trying
to make the point that code changes are often not trivial and it is
up to the code writer to make the determination of how important
something is which somebody feels might need to be modified.

> For jnos2, the determination of exactly what changes is in the
> capable hands of Maiko, and I'm certain both of our opinions
> will be appropriately considered in due time.  Other strains of
> NOS march to their own drum and I will be gratified in their
> consideration no matter what they choose to do.
>
> This reflector is the best discussion forum we have available to
> discuss what is important to each of us as users.  I certainly will
> honor yours if you will work with me to eliminate the inconsistencies
> that exist today.

But of course!  :)  I don't deny that the documentation may have misled
you.  And I am also not disagreeing with any of your issues.  I was
simply informing you what the code does, not what you think the
documentation says it does.  Phil Karn always used to say, "When in
doubt, the source is definitive".  :)

With that in mind, I was not offering an opinion about that part of
my previous email to the mailing list.  The source *is* definitive
so that is how these commands really do work.  Maiko and I both know
this.  The only opinion I offered is whether or not I thought that
it is worth the time, effort and resources to modify the code in order
to make it work like you think the documentation says it is supposed
to work and my opinion was "no".  :)

But we don't disagree that there is a problem.  In fact, there must be
a problem of some sort because you have come away with the incorrect
impression of what the code does after reading the documentation.  That
usually means it is faulty documentation.

Of course, Maiko will do what he wants with the JNOS code (we share
code fragments with each other all the time), but he will know full
well what would be involved with changing the behavior of these
mailbox commands and presuming that he might agree with the opinion
part of my previous email to the mailing list I will venture forth
the possibility that he might also say that the documentation should
be modified instead of expending the time, effort and resources to
modify the code.

I think that the lesson here is *supposed* to be, just because the
software does one thing and the documentation says another it does
not necessarily mean that there is a bug in the software.  Code
writers are usually very sensitive to the "bug" word and I was
simply trying to provide a little blocking for Maiko.  :)

We will agree to agree!  :)

73, de Barry, K2MF >>
           o
          <|>      Barry Siegfried
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