http://andypalmer.com/2010/01/the-curious-case-of-the-missing-present/ Views on software, technology, consulting and business process Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:19:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://andypalmer.com/2010/01/the-curious-case-of-the-missing-present/comment-page-1/#comment-1069 Tweets that mention Andy Palmer » The Curious Case of the Missing Present -- Topsy.com Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:46:56 +0000 http://andypalmer.com/?p=212#comment-1069 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Andy Palmer and Tim Ottinger, Johan Aludden. Johan Aludden said: A really thoughtful analogy: RT @AndyPalmer: Don't send that poor disappointed boy away with nothing! http://bit.ly/8g410H [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Andy Palmer and Tim Ottinger, Johan Aludden. Johan Aludden said: A really thoughtful analogy: RT @AndyPalmer: Don't send that poor disappointed boy away with nothing! http://bit.ly/8g410H [...]

]]> http://andypalmer.com/2010/01/the-curious-case-of-the-missing-present/comment-page-1/#comment-1068 Andy Palmer Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:25:52 +0000 http://andypalmer.com/?p=212#comment-1068 I don't know what the right thing to do is, but I suspect that the number of cases where giving the boy nothing is correct are very, very small. And likewise, I suspect (from experience) that the number of times the boy is (incorrectly, imho) given nothing is very, very high.<br>Tony Hoare (who invented null in the 1960's) calls it <a href="http://qconlondon.com/london-2009/presentation/Null+References:+The+Billion+Dollar+Mistake" rel="nofollow">his billion dollar mistake</a> I don't know what the right thing to do is, but I suspect that the number of cases where giving the boy nothing is correct are very, very small. And likewise, I suspect (from experience) that the number of times the boy is (incorrectly, imho) given nothing is very, very high.
Tony Hoare (who invented null in the 1960's) calls it his billion dollar mistake

]]> http://andypalmer.com/2010/01/the-curious-case-of-the-missing-present/comment-page-1/#comment-1067 Straun Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:19:19 +0000 http://andypalmer.com/?p=212#comment-1067 Is that better than throwing the alarm switch? Or joining one line to check that what he wants is available before joining another to get it? Is that better than throwing the alarm switch? Or joining one line to check that what he wants is available before joining another to get it?

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