From: iainf@spider.com (Iain A F Fleming)
Newsgroups: comp.editors,comp.sys.transputer
Subject: Re: Folding editors
Date: 30 Oct 1998 16:00:37 +0000
Organization: Spider Software Ltd
Sender: iainf@belhaven.spider.com
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Message-Id: <6r4ssm59ay.fsf@belhaven.spider.com>
References: <36374B57.168B9492@pact.srf.ac.uk>
    <71aj0c$oc$1@fangorn.moria.de> <6r1znq7264.fsf@belhaven.spider.com>
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In-Reply-To: Stephen Maudsley's message of Fri, 30 Oct 1998 13:28:29 +0000
Xref: ukc comp.editors:31995 comp.sys.transputer:8888


The entity calling itself Stephen Maudsley wrote:
> 
>  Iain A F Fleming wrote:
>
>  > folding is evil
> 
>  Certainly I've seen code where scoping of variables has been so convoluted
>  that it was unmaintainable.

Mainly that, and the allied fact that it allows large blocks of (often
conditional) code to be folded away rather than being split off into
subroutines/functions.

Programs composed of small numbers of large functions with complex control
flow tend to be less comprehensible that a large number of small functions.

Folding encourages the hack-it-and-see incremental mentality.

-- 
 Iain A F Fleming               http://www.spider.com/
 Spider Sofware Ltd  Leith  Scotland  +44.131.475.7045