As a side effect my code reads like an essay. And I write it like one. Start with an outlook at the highest level and do deeper. Simpler code, less code and only the last portions are generally low level. This keeps it portable and maintainable.
]]>Though the point still holds — design should be taught early on.
@Martin — I get the vibe that people are struggling with Java, design, and just about everything else. CS134’s withdrawal deadline has been postponed into December.
]]>I think that a design course should be done in 2nd year to get it drilled into the students heads that this is the proper way to code. We’re currently writing modules for moodle and if we didn’t design first we’d be lost.
Design should be taught very early on because it’s probably one of the most important parts of a program. If you don’t design properly you’re program could:
1) have a lot of bugs
2) be impossible to maintain
3) take a lot longer to program
4) cost a lot more