verdante - Slashdot User

UK Wants To Phase Out Checks By 2018 796

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday December 17, 2009 @02:37AM from the cash-or-credit dept.

The board of the UK Payments Council has set a date to phase out checks in a bid to encourage the advance of other forms of payment. They added, however, that the target of Oct. 2018 would only be realized if adequate alternatives are developed. "The goal is to ensure that by 2018 there is no scenario where customers, individuals or businesses, still need to use a cheque. The board will be especially concerned that the needs of elderly and vulnerable people are met," the Payments Council said in a statement.

Comment Python comments/docstrings need a lot more (Score 1) 660

by verdante on Tuesday November 17, 2009 @09:38AM (#30128108) Attached to: If the Comments Are Ugly, the Code Is Ugly

In Python, long comments are necessary in any public-facing code.
1) Due to the dynamic duck-typing, the docstring is the only place where you can explain to the world the exact structure and conditions of each parameter and the return value, especially if you are returning a dict that maps pairs of records to vectors.

2) The docstrings are where you put the doctests, which form an executable mini-unit-test and mini-tutorial for every public API. doctests also mean you have to write the code with few explicit dependencies (or spend most of the test lines mocking them out).

A 4-parameter public API function easily needs:

1 line (maybe 2) for description, followed by 1 blank line
+4*2 lines for the :type: and :param: descriptions
+2 lines for :rtype: and :return: descriptions
+5 lines or more for the >>> doctest lines
>=17 lines of comment per such function

Comment Re:What the bets the first release will be... (Score 1) 416

by verdante on Saturday November 14, 2009 @02:50AM (#30095546) Attached to: Synthetic Stone DVD Claimed To Last 1,000 Years

This is scapegoating, not justice.

If I get caught for speeding and my dad chooses to pay the fine, is this scapegoating, or is this love? The judge only requires that the fine be paid. My dad chooses to pay for me so that I remain free because I cannot afford the fine. This is love, not scapegoating.

Except in this case its like your dad is the son of the Judge and the "fine" is Death with a capital "D" (and quality time with some demons, like a normal jail, right?). Wait, except the Judge *is* the son too, and so is your dad. Uh oh.

Slashdot Top Deals