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Thread: How much time should I have on a program?

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    Default How much time should I have on a program?

    I hope it isn't too much to ask, because I would like to know how much time it should take to make a regular Java program whether I'm on a team of some kind, or as an individual.


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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    How long is a piece of string?

    There is no possible way to know. There are many factors involved such as:
    the difficulty of the task
    the number of team members
    the skill level of those people
    the resources available (computer specs, IDE etc)
    familiarity with resources
    teamwork (if more than one person)
    etc etc etc
    Improving the world one idiot at a time!

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    In addition to Junky's post, there's Hofstadter's Law:
    It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Now I would like to know if there is such a thing as a deadline at work for a programmer.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Wasn't he the SS Major in Hogan's Heroes?
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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Quote Originally Posted by SOG
    Now I would like to know if there is such a thing as a deadline at work for a programmer.
    Deadlines are typically defined by the many aspects outlined in Junky's post, and then some.

    Quote Originally Posted by Junky
    Wasn't he the SS Major in Hogan's Heroes?
    hehe, see Godel, Escher, Bach
    Last edited by copeg; July 18th, 2011 at 10:33 PM.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    In what way can one become certified to the point of getting this kind of job considering the time problem?
    Last edited by SOG; July 19th, 2011 at 12:17 AM.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Quote Originally Posted by copeg View Post
    In addition to Junky's post, there's Hofstadter's Law:

    It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law
    lol very true.
    Please use [highlight=Java] code [/highlight] tags when posting your code.
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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Quote Originally Posted by copeg View Post
    In addition to Junky's post, there's Hofstadter's Law:
    Not to mention Cargill's Law:
    The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Quote Originally Posted by SOG View Post
    In what way can one become certified to the point of getting this kind of job considering the time problem?
    What time problem? Writing a program is like writing a book, making a painting, or building a house - it takes as long as it takes, and that's usually longer than you expected.

    In business, experienced managers will estimate tasks based on past experience & development team advice, and then add contingency (for setbacks, staff absence, & other unexpected problems). Good agile development methodologies, such as Scrum, allow continuous monitoring and task prioritization by the customer, so that tasks can be adjusted and features can be dropped or simplified if overruns become problematic.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to dlorde For This Useful Post:

    SOG (July 19th, 2011)

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    It seems now as if there isn't a drop-dead date for this stuff.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Quote Originally Posted by SOG View Post
    It seems now as if there isn't a drop-dead date for this stuff.
    Again, it depends on WHAT stuff you're talking about. You haven't really asked an answerable question.
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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Quote Originally Posted by SOG View Post
    It seems now as if there isn't a drop-dead date for this stuff.
    Of course not.

    Any competent coder can write a Java 'Hello World' program in less than 30 seconds. Some major Java software developments may take years (or at least, many man-years). Remember also that successful software (i.e. software that gets used) almost always changes - bugs are fixed, modifications introduced, enhancements made. It is also quite common for development to continue after a much-delayed official release date, with more or less witting users (customers) effectively acting as a test team; <insert your personal bugware experiences here>.

    In the real world, software development timescales are gray and fuzzy... oh, no - wait... I'm not wearing my rose-tinted glasses... ahh, that's better
    Last edited by dlorde; July 19th, 2011 at 01:05 PM.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Actually, I was asking about successful programs that sell these days. They're the ones you see at a software store at the mall or something. dlorde answered that well enough for me. By the way, I'm somewhat new to Java, and I don't know exactly what bugware is but I know my problem is solved right now. (I hope that is okay.)
    Last edited by SOG; July 19th, 2011 at 02:16 PM.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Well, the thing is, a computer program is never really finished. I mean, even the program you find in stores are not ENTIRELY finished. That is the reason you always have to update your programs, or patch your games, or whatever. You'll never make a program 100% air-tight finished. There is always one stupidly specific case where the user will break something, or other terrible things will occur.

    Now if you are wondering about how long it takes to create a presentable program, the answer would be dependent on the size and difficultly of what you are trying to accomplish, as well as all the research time that you will probably have to put into it.
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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Okay, well I believe I have all the answers I need to continue with my endeavor of getting a programming-job. By the way, do these threads under the Java Ouestions & Theory category have an eventual end, or am I supposed to keep answering here? (Just to be sure.)
    Last edited by SOG; July 19th, 2011 at 03:39 PM.

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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    Well, I suppose we could lock the thread, or you could just ignore it, lol.
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    Default Re: How much time should I have on a program?

    No, they never end, you must keep on posting

    Just kidding. If you stop feeding them, they'll die.

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