python vs perl lines of code

[John Bokma]

"akameswaran at gmail.com" <akameswaran at gmail.com> wrote:

> But if a 1 person, using 1 language, with the same set of tools withing
> a 3 month period implements the same algo without bugs - I'll bet you
> the shorter one was theone written second.

You might lose that bet very often. I see often that additional checks are 
added to algorithms to handle special cases overlooked, or documentation 
added because a co-worker had problems with the notation.

I rarely see my scripts shrink, they often grow. The only time they shrink 
is when I factor one or more modules out of it :-)

> The fact that you many ppl will state the shorter line count of
> rewrites is a sign of improving skill

I disaprove if you want to make it a general rule. I have seen too many 
exceptions.

> My skill level increases a lot faster than my coding style changes over
> time.

After 10 years that will change the other way around I guess. At least 
that's my experience.

> So while far from conclusive, the fact that I find my code gets
> shorter the second time - and it is usually done more skillfully, it
> seems there is a correlation of some sort between lines of code and
> quality.

Yup, and this is exactly what frightens me the whole time in this thread. 
People looking for quality rules based on line count. It's wrong.

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