Re: [CODE] Snippets vs. patches

From: Peter Ajamian (peter@pajamian.dhs.org)
Date: 11/07/00


"Shane P. Lee" wrote:
>
> What I would like to do now is to beg the coding community as a whole
> to comment on this. I would really like to hear everyone's feelings
> on the subject.

Well, I feel there are ceartain pros and cons to doing it either way as
follows...

Patches Pros...

 - If created correctly and current it is easy to install especially
into a stock source.

 - Easy to create for complicated modifications with changes in several
different areas as long as a before and after source is maintained.

 - Under ideal circumstances they work automatically.  Under not-so
ideal circumstances they can still do the bulk of the work for you just
leaving a few rejects for you to take care of on your own.

 - The generally preferred format for extremely large modifications such
as Oasis OLC and DG Scripts.

 - Can be applied automatically or by hand, the choice is up to the
person who is using the patch.

 - Easy to maintain.

Cons of Patches...

 - Cryptic looking and can be difficult for a beginner, esp when they
have overly optimistic expectations on the amount of work the patch can
do for you.

 - More difficult to modify by hand...

Errr, where was I?  Right, Cons of Patches...

 - Ususally not well commented and any comments added to a patch file
won't (correct me if I'm wrong) carry over to a rej file.

Pros of Snippets...

 - Generally nicer looking and easier to understand for hand patching.

 - The preferred format for hand patching.

 - Preferred for small modifications that will fit onto one or two pages
of text.

Cons of Snippets...

 - Cannot be used automatically.

 - Time consuming to create and use for large complex modifications.

 - Easy to miss something when creating a snippet for complex
modifications.

 - More difficult to create and maintain.


Feel free to add to or comment on this list.

Regards, Peter


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