codeless_code 0.1.2

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-65.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+Number: 65
+Date: 2012-10-28
+Title: Two Choices
+Geekiness: 3
+Skip: 0
+Names: Kaimu
+Topics: strong typing
+Illus.0.src: frog.jpg
+Illus.0.par: 4
+Illus.0.title: HELLO MY BABY, HELLO MY HONEY, HELLO MY RAGTIME GAAAAAAL...
+
+Java master [[Kaimu]] left <a href="/case/64">three novices</a>
+to debate the signature of a utility method that was needed.  An hour
+later he found all three in his office, bruised and
+quite disheveled.
+
+"Have you reached agreement?" asked Kaimu.
+
+The first novice, sporting a torn robe and cut lip, said:
+"We are even further from a peaceful conclusion than before.
+Each of us still prefers his own solution to the two others.
+We beg you to make the best choice on our behalf."
+
+"Very well," sighed Kaimu. "Among the three options offered,
+one was bold enough to reject our tradition of strong typing
+and declare the method to take an Object, so as to satisfy
+all potential users.  Which of you proposed this?"
+
+The second novice proudly stepped forward.  With a swift kick to
+the stomach, the master sent him tumbling out the door.
+
+
+== Qi's commentary
+
+The method that takes Object will cheerfully accept LeftFoot.
+
+
+== Qi's poem
+
+A perfect frog crouches on the table, //
+surrounded by shards of jade. //
+With each blow, the sculptor has two choices: //
+for, against. //

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-66.txt

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+Number: 66
+Date: 2012-11-04
+Title: Porpoise
+Geekiness: 0
+Names: Qi, Banzen
+Topics: documentation
+
+The scribe [[Qi]] was asked to provide the diagrams for a large
+system design document, for the purpose of increasing its
+readability.  The finished work was delivered to Java master
+[[Banzen]] for review.
+
+Banzen found some of the diagrams straightforward, but many
+were extremely puzzling.  The /Dataflow/ section was
+illustrated with the digestive tract of a fish, rendered in
+intricate detail with all the major organs labeled.
+/Scheduled Jobs/ showed the phases of the moon juxtaposed
+with various herbs.  The /Functional Overview/ concluded
+with a glorious depiction of the reproductive cycle of the
+white dolphin.
+
+At first Banzen assumed an error, yet closer inspection
+revealed footnotes in the figures which referred back to
+particular sections of the design document.  In all cases
+the connection between figure and text was utterly
+mystifying.
+
+"I read the document through twice, very carefully," said
+the master to the scribe.  "And nowhere in it could I find
+the significance of the bisected fish, the lunar harvest
+calendar, or most of your other contributions."
+
+"Twice," repeated Qi with satisfaction, and left the room.
+
+The master was enlightened.

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-67.txt

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+Number: 67
+Date: 2012-11-11
+Title: Grease
+Geekiness: 1
+Names: Suku, Spider Clan, Jinyu
+Topics: management
+Credits: Stone wall texture from <a href="http://seamless-pixels.blogspot.com/2011/12/added-seamless-stone-wall-under.html">seamless-pixels.blogspot.com</a>
+Illus.0.src: well.jpg
+Illus.0.title: At least he won't die of thirst.
+
+On Monday, the <a href="/case/62">last remaining abbot</a>
+of the [[Spider Clan]] called Java master [[Suku]] into his office.
+
+"You are well behind schedule," said the abbot, flipping
+open a painted fan.  "I shall help you prioritize.  The
+analyst tells me that your application's primary purpose is
+to chart historical data.  Therefore, direct all developers
+to cease their current activities and complete the
+chart-generation module."
+
+"As the abbot commands," said Suku.  She bowed low
+and went out.
+
+- - -
+
+On Tuesday, the abbot called Suku into his office.
+
+"I have spoken with the customer," said the abbot, filing
+his long nails.  "They can forgo charts in the first
+release, provided that we can export the data in tabular
+format.  Direct all developers to cease their current
+activities and complete the data-export module."
+
+"As the abbot commands," said Suku.  She bowed low
+and went out.
+
+- - -
+
+On Wednesday, the abbot called Suku into his office.
+
+"I have spoken with the sales department," said the abbot,
+pulling a needle carefully through an embroidery frame.
+"They have several prospective customers who would be swayed
+if we offered geographic visualization in the first release.
+Direct all developers to cease their current activities and
+complete the map-generation module."
+
+"As the abbot commands," said Suku.  She bowed low
+and went out.
+
+- - -
+
+On Thursday and Friday, the abbot called Suku into his
+office.
+
+All went much as it had on the days before.
+
+- - -
+
+On Saturday, the abbot called Suku into his office.
+
+"You have made very little progress this week," said the
+abbot, dragging a tiny rake through a miniature sand garden
+on his desk. "Explain."
+
+"As the abbot commands," said Suku.  With a whirl of her
+staff she struck the abbot in the back of the head,
+sprawling him unconscious on his desk in a spray of white sand.
+
+- - -
+
+On Sunday, the Abbess Over All Clans And Concerns called
+Suku into her office.
+
+"The abbot of your clan wished me to cancel your morning
+meeting on his behalf," said the Abbess, "as he appears to
+have fallen into our deepest well and cannot climb out."
+
+"Are there not sturdy iron rungs set in the walls?" asked Suku.
+
+"They appear to have been thoroughly greased," frowned the
+Abbess.  "As was the bucket-rope.  And the stone walls
+themselves.  The abbot has climbed many miles this morning,
+yet sadly it is the same ten feet over and over.  Direct all
+your developers to cease their current activities and
+observe his progress.  I believe they will find it most
+edifying."
+
+"As the abbess commands," said Suku.  She bowed low
+and went out.

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-68.txt

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+Number: 68
+Date: 2012-11-17
+Title: Decay
+Geekiness: 0
+Names: Banzen
+Topics: perfection, joy-hacking
+Illus.0.src: shell.jpg
+Illus.0.title: C shell.
+Illus.1.src: sandcastle.jpg
+Illus.1.title: Well, the apartment's got a *great* ocean view, but the building is not exactly up to code...
+Illus.1.align: center
+Illus.1.par: last
+
+When [[Banzen]] was a young monk, he grew despondent:
+
+"What is the use of perfecting code?" he cried.  "A module
+we write under the cherry blossoms in April will require a
+dozen urgent changes in sweltering July.  By September it
+will be a tangle of debris, destined to be discarded and
+rewritten by someone else before the snows of December
+melt!"
+
+Hearing of this, Banzen's master summoned him:
+
+"Your talk is disquieting; leave the monastery at
+once.  Outside the gate is a stream that flows
+from the mountaintop.  Follow it until you reach the ocean,
+and there walk the sands to clear your head.  Do not return
+until your eyes can see."
+
+Young Banzen obeyed.  He remained on the shoreline for days,
+walking many <i>ri</i> back and forth.  There he spied women
+fishing in the tide pools with bamboo rods, and men weaving
+nets, and children playing in the sand.
+
+It was the children that drew Banzen's interest the most.
+As the morning tide went out they gathered at the margin of
+the receding waters, piling bucketfuls of wet sand into huge
+mounds while sorting out the shells and pebbles.  With each
+hour the water grew more distant, yet still the boys hauled
+brine-heavy buckets up the beach to moisten the sand
+while the girls set to work on the summits of the piles.  As
+the sun swung past its zenith a mighty fortress took shape,
+top to bottom, some bits sculpted or patted by hand but most
+of it carved with the help of old knives and broken rice
+paddles.  The children lined the rooftops with tiny white
+shells, used chopsticks to poke out shadowy windows, pressed
+thousands of pebbles into the foundations, and dripped wet
+sand from their fingertips to make tiny conifers in the
+miniature gardens, one by one.  By this time the tide would
+be creeping back up the shore.
+
+Whenever Banzen saw the first wave strike the battlements he
+always winced; when the first delicate terrace crumbled his
+stomach always sank with pity.  Yet the children cheered.
+Throughout the late afternoon they watched hand-in-hand as
+the sea reclaimed what had been taken from it, until all
+that remained of the day's labor was a great undulating
+lump of sand dotted with shells.  Then the children would
+leave.
+
+But without fail they would gather the next
+morning with their buckets and shovels, ready to begin anew.
+
+After a week Banzen returned to his monastery, enlightened.
+
+
+

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-69.txt

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+Date: 2012-11-25
+Title: Up To Date
+Number: 69
+Geekiness: 2
+Names: Qi
+Topics: documentation, code rot
+Credits: Some textures in illustrations courtesy of <a href="http://fantasystock.deviantart.com">FantasyStock</a>.
+Illus.0.src: confusion.jpg
+Illus.0.title: 'Walk north until the mournful song of a dying sparrow reminds you of the futility of your own existence.  Then left at the Texaco.'
+
+
+The old scribe [[Qi]] was tasked with assembling and
+maintaining the high-level design document for a new system.
+Each developer provided the scribe with his or her
+contributions, but the contributions of the head monk were
+returned with the subject line /Unsatisfactory./
+
+"What is your objection?" demanded the head monk, who
+was known for his impatience.
+
+"Much of what you gave me was actual source code," said the
+scribe.  "Class declarations, method bodies, long SQL
+queries.  That is not our way."
+
+"How better to document the algorithms?" asked the head monk
+pointedly.  "My way distorts nothing."
+
+The scribe considered this.
+
+"Very well," he said finally.  "If you can convince the head
+priest of my order, I will allow it."
+
+"Tell me where this priest may be found," said the head monk,
+fumbling in his robes for paper and ink.
+
+"I can only tell you where I found him last, about three
+years ago," said the scribe, thumbing through his diary.
+"Ah!  Here it is:  I followed the Road of White Nettles
+toward the East for two days, until I came to a stream whose
+banks were swollen from a recent rain.  There I turned so
+the wind was at my back, walking until two salmon leaped
+from the waters.  Crossing at the next footbridge I took the
+fork that pointed straight at the moon, turned right when I
+came to a barefoot boy gathering sticks and then left when
+the clouds blotted out the pole-star.  It was the hut with
+the door standing halfway open; you can't miss it."
+
+The head monk required no further correction.

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-7.txt

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+Date: 2010-11-09
+Title: The Enemy of the Good
+Number: 7
+Geekiness: 1
+Topics: testing, automated testing, perfection
+Names: Laughing Monkey Clan
+Credits: Some textures in illustrations courtesy of <a href="http://fantasystock.deviantart.com">FantasyStock</a>.
+Illus.0.par: 0
+Illus.0.src: waiting-teaser.jpg
+Illus.1.par: last
+Illus.1.src: waiting.jpg
+Illus.1.align: center
+Illus.1.title: After the first hundred years, you get much better at waiting patiently.
+
+The monks of the [[Laughing Monkey Clan]] approached the Java
+master with a list of grievances.
+
+"Our greatest frustration is the testing process," insisted
+the youngest monk. "Manual testing is tedious, and automated
+tests are troublesome to compose.  Both are distractions
+from the authorship of code."
+
+The master considered this, and said: "It is certain that we
+could forgo testing altogether, if we knew our code to be
+perfect.  How, then, may we achieve perfection?"
+
+"Through practice," said one monk.
+
+"Through diligent study," said another.
+
+"Through the appeasement of the proper gods," said a third.
+
+An old white-bearded monk, who had been sitting quietly in
+the corner, raised his head:
+
+"I know how perfection may be achieved," he said.  "But I
+fear that all who hear my answer will be forever unconvinced
+of its truth unless I speak exactly the right words, with
+the most pleasing of intonations, at the most propitious
+time of day.  I must now consider how this is best done."
+
+The old monk fell silent for a long time.  Eventually the
+dinner-bell sounded.
+
+"How long will this take?" asked one of the novices.
+
+"No more than a hundred years," came the old monk's reply.

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-70.txt

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+Date: 2012-12-02
+Number: 70
+Title: System
+Geekiness: 2
+Names: Bawan
+Topics: philosophy
+
+A novice posed this question to master [[Bawan]]: //
+//
+In the morning my master gives me directions. //
+From the directions, I form an idea. //
+From the idea, I sketch diagrams on paper. //
+From the diagrams, I create a model in the designer. //
+From the model, I generate a skeleton project. //
+From the skeleton, I enter source code as text. //
+From the text, the compiler generates bytecode in class files. //
+From the class files, the build system assembles war files. //
+From the war files, the deployer creates a web application. //
+//
+But we are still not done: //
+Given an application, the virtual machine extracts the bytecode. //
+Given bytecode, the JIT compiler produces machine language. //
+Given machine language, the operating system instructs a CPU. //
+Given instructions, the CPU's logic gates open or close, //
+causing electrons to flow this way or that. //
+//
+At each step, the project is refined, distilled, transformed. //
+Each step depends on the ones following --//
+otherwise the program does not function. //
+//
+So my question is this: //
+Which of these products is the true software, //
+and which is the true source? //
+//
+//
+The master replied: //
+//
+But we are /still/ not done: //
+electrons flow this way or that, //
+tripping other logic gates, //
+which alter bytes in memory, //
+which are interpreted as information, //
+which is displayed on a screen, //
+which makes a pattern on your retina, //
+which sends signals to your cortex, //
+which propagate to your cerebrum, //
+which forms an idea. //
+//
+So my answer is this: //
+Go to the temple courtyard; stand before the oak tree there. //
+From the branches above, pluck an acorn. //
+From the earth below, gather wet rotting leaves. //
+Let your breath mingle with the dew. //
+Let your sweat moisten the soil. //
+There remain, until the oak is gone. //
+
+
+== Qi's commentary
+
+When do you mean, when you speak of source?  Where do you
+mean, when you speak of code?  The walls of your cubicle are
+not the horizon.  You must look beyond the needs of the day;
+otherwise your implementation is a hunk of dry bark and you are no
+better than food for worms.
+
+== Qi's poem
+
+When the oak is gone, the monk is gone, then all things are gone: //
+Yet this happens in the twinkling of an eye. //
+Not where, but all places. //
+Not when, but all times.

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-71.txt

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+Date: 2012-12-08
+Number: 71
+Title: The Six Unwelcome Hosts
+Geekiness: 3
+Names: Kaimu
+Topics: error handling, exceptions
+Credits: Some textures in illustrations courtesy of <a href="http://fantasystock.deviantart.com">FantasyStock</a>.
+Illus.0.par: 2
+Illus.0.src: exception.jpg
+Illus.0.title: Dodge *this*.
+Illus.0.align: center
+
+A young nun -- a novice -- said to master [[Kaimu]], "I
+have heard tell of the Six Unwelcome Hosts, but my eyes have
+not yet been opened."
+
+The master hooked a myna-bird's cage onto the top of a long
+staff and gave that to the novice.  Next he wrote something
+on a slip of paper, blew on it until the ink was dry, and
+gave this to the novice also, saying: "On the scroll are the
+names of five houses in the village.  When night falls,
+fetch your empty bowl and beg rice from each house in turn.
+Take the bird with you.  Consider what you see and hear."
+
+When the novice came to the first house and presented her
+bowl, the man filled it with white grains and closed his
+door.  The myna-bird sang: <i>"No rice, no radish, no morsel
+within; you'd be wise to eat with your fingers."</i> Poking
+at the grains, the novice discovered to her horror that they
+were not rice at all, but small white maggots.  She dumped
+them on the grass and washed the bowl in a nearby stream
+until her fingers were numb with cold.
+
+When the novice came to the second house and presented her
+bowl, the man there said "I have no rice" and closed
+his door.  The myna-bird sang: <i>"No rice, no radish, no
+morsel within; his mice have perished from want."</i>
+
+When the novice came to the third house and presented her
+bowl, the man there said "No rice," lit a lantern and
+closed his door.  The myna-bird sang: <i>"See the red
+banner under the lantern; that bastard has plenty of rice,
+but will not feed a stranger."</i>
+
+When the novice came to the fourth house and presented her
+bowl, the man there threw it into the bushes and closed his
+door.  The myna-bird sang: <i>"You might have caught it
+if you'd tried, but still you would leave hungry."</i>
+
+When the novice came to the fifth house and presented her
+bowl, the man placed it upside-down upon the stone
+threshold, ground it to splinters beneath his heel and
+slammed his door in anger.  The myna-bird was silent.
+
+Returning to master Kaimu, the novice said, "My eyes have been
+opened to five Unwelcome Hosts."
+
+"Name them," commanded the master.
+
+"Bug, failure-value, flag, exception, exit," replied the novice.
+
+The master nodded.
+
+"But what of the sixth?" asked the novice.
+
+The master said, "Take an empty bowl to the grave of master
+Mugen.  When the dead master either fills it or turns you away,
+the Sixth Unwelcome Host will have come and gone."

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-72.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+Number: 72
+Date: 2012-12-15
+Title: Too Eager
+Geekiness: 3
+Names: Banzen, Laughing Monkey Clan
+Topics: initialization, lazy initialization, eager initialization
+Credits: Some textures in illustrations courtesy of <a href="http://lostandtaken.com">Lost And Taken</a>.
+Illus.0.src: naked.jpg
+Illus.0.title: The other side of the sign says: NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE.
+
+One winter's day, a monk of the [[Laughing Monkey Clan]]
+accompanied Java master [[Banzen]] to
+the marketplace to help carry what would be purchased there.
+
+On the road the monk asked, "What may be said of eager
+initialization?"
+
+The master replied, "Three days' packing for a journey of
+two miles."
+
+"And what of lazy initialization?"
+
+"Rush outside with only your coin-purse; all will be
+purchased as needed."
+
+The monk considered this.  "The coin of the system is Time,"
+he observed.  "If the cost is negligible, nothing can be
+said against lazy initialization."
+
+Banzen whirled around, yanking the robe completely off the
+surprised monk's body.  The master then looped his coin-purse
+around the naked monk's neck.
+
+Prodding his shivering companion forward into the crowds of
+the marketplace, Banzen remarked: "I see that Kaifung Wei,
+the tailor, has closed his shop for the season."

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-73.txt

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+Number: 73
+Date: 2012-12-24
+Title: The White Pearl
+Geekiness: 2
+Names: Hwídah, Yíwen, Yishi-Shing, Elephant's Footprint Clan, Clan of Iron Bones
+Topics: logging, error handling
+Illus.0.src: pearl-back.jpg
+Illus.0.title: No, this is not about Perl.
+
+Two nuns, [[Yíwen]] and [[Hwídah]], were summoned from their
+midday meal by the abbot of the Elephant's Footprint Clan:
+
+"Master [[Yishi-Shing]] believes he may have lost a white
+pearl in the snow while walking on the temple grounds," said
+the abbot, handing each of the nuns a shovel.  "It is his opinion
+that the two of you should search for it."
+
+The two nuns labored in silence for several hours --
+digging, sifting, tossing aside, and digging again -- when
+the taller of the two cleared her throat.
+
+"I have been wondering," said Yíwen carefully, "why we were
+selected for this punishment.  I, for one, have never met
+master Yishi-Shing."
+
+"Then you are fortunate," answered Hwídah as she sank her
+shovel deep into a drift.  "He is a disagreeable man,
+who cares overmuch about the contents of our log files."
+
+Yíwen leaned on her shovel, her gaze distant.  "Yesterday I
+overheard you arguing with someone about this very
+topic: the contents of our log files.  There was some
+objection that he had raised..."
+
+"Warning messages," grunted Hwídah, dumping a heaping shovelful of
+snow into a sifter that had been mounted atop a wheelbarrow.
+
+"Yes, that was it," nodded Yíwen.  <i>"Meaningless warnings and
+errors, dozens every minute, filling the disk with garbage.
+Benign exceptions.  Uninitialized configuration options.
+Debugging information logged at the wrong severity level.</i>
+In response, I believe you argued that cleaning up all
+the relevant code would be a large and risky undertaking."
+
+Hwídah gasped for breath and turned the crank on the sifter.
+"I also... mentioned... your own observation, about how
+disk space... is cheap..."
+
+"Ah," said Yíwen.  "How exceedingly thoughtful of you."
+
+Hwídah peered inside the sifter.  "Still nothing."
+
+Yíwen stepped hard on the blade of her shovel.  "By-the-by,
+I understand that yesterday's crash of our production
+servers is still undiagnosed.  Curious, is it not, given
+that our logs are so detailed and voluminous?"
+
+"Just keep digging," said Hwídah miserably.

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-74.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+Number: 74
+Date: 2012-12-30
+Title: Bathwater
+Geekiness: 2
+Names: Hwídah, Yíwen, Yishi-Shing
+Topics: logging, error handling
+Skip: 0
+Credits: Some textures in illustrations courtesy of <a href="http://fantasystock.deviantart.com">FantasyStock</a>.
+Illus.0.src: blindfold.jpg
+Illus.0.title: He says that the black eye was totally worth it.
+
+After several days spent <a href="/case/73">shovelling snow,</a>
+the nuns [[Yíwen]] and [[Hwídah]] succumbed to the bitter cold
+and were given leave to recuperate in the hot baths.  A blindfolded
+young monk was sent there to find them.
+
+"Master [[Yishi-Shing]] says that he has swum deep through
+your ocean of log files and discovered a pearl," said the
+monk.  He waved a printout in the general direction of the
+splashing until it was taken from his hand.
+
+"These are stack traces for NullPointerExceptions," sniffled
+Yíwen.  "All were thrown during our long-running data processing
+job."
+
+"Most likely the problem is bad data," said Hwídah, her voice
+muffled by the hot towel she had draped over her face to clear
+her sinuses.
+
+"Many pardons," said Yíwen to the monk.  "But I cannot tell
+what records were being processed.  Where are the info messages
+that we log to provide context?"
+
+"They are no longer output," said the monk. "The flood of
+spurious warnings and errors was causing the log
+files to grow too quickly.  Something had to be done
+to prevent them from filling up the disk.  So Yishi-Shing
+decreed that debug and info messages, being non-critical,
+should be suppressed."
+
+Yíwen sighed, thrust the printout into the arms of the
+sightless monk, and slipped back into the bathwater.
+"Yishi-Shing rakes the seabed for pearls only.  He throws
+out every oyster unopened because their shells are ugly
+and his raft is small."
+
+"He has forgotten the very purpose of fishermen," said
+Hwídah from under her towel.  'Now, bedecked in orphan
+pearls, we will starve for want of oyster-meat."
+
+
+{{*}} "Stealthy Wombat" offers this poem:<p>Yíwen and Hwídah sift the yard for Yishi-Shing's pearl<br>In spring, he loses it again<br>Ahab searched the seas for the white whale<br>The whale was white, but oh! So broad the ocean!</p>

data/data/the-codeless-code/en-qi/case-75.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+Date: 2013-01-05
+Number: 75
+Title: Fear of Commitment
+Geekiness: 2
+Names: Djishin, Elephant's Footprint Clan
+Topics: commits, rollbacks, databases, transactions
+Credits: Some textures in illustrations courtesy of <a href="http://fantasystock.deviantart.com">FantasyStock</a>.
+Illus.0.src: rollback.jpg
+Illus.0.par: last
+Illus.0.align: center
+Illus.0.title: Another monk asked the master about 'drop table' and was squashed flat under a set of dining-room furniture that had been suspended from the rafters.
+
+
+The monk [[Djishin]] approached the master of the [[Elephant's Footprint Clan]]
+and said: "Teach me something of commits and rollbacks."
+
+The master replied: "I can only teach you of commits."
+
+Djishin said: "Then say something of commits."
+
+The master replied: "I already have."
+
+Djishin said: "I came begging for an orange.  You have given me only the rind."
+
+The master's hand shot out from his robe; his open palm
+landed square on the monk's forehead.  The blow sent
+Djishin reeling backwards into a pillar, skull first.
+The monk collapsed to the floor unconscious.
+
+When the monk came to, the master asked: "What did I say of commits?"
+
+Djishin held his throbbing head and replied: "I cannot remember".
+
+The master declared: "Rollback!"