Reaction for: OO Software Development by Matt C

I think that this paper was really good in demonstrating the advantages of CRC cards. I had a done a little reading on them a few weeks ago and thought they looked like a good idea. I think they have a few advantages:

Space
Drawing designs takes space. When you add stuff you have to fit it in, when you delete stuff you have to take it out. Drawing and erasing lines can be messy, you run out of room, lines start crossing, it's ugly. This happens to me all the time. CRC cards give you the flexibility to lay things out on the floor, move them around, discard and add with ease, etc. They are extremely portable, meaning you can work on your design anywhere.
Group Work
I think that the role-playing idea went really well. The participants were able to keep every piece separated, and add stuff as needed. The idea of encapsulation is taken to a whole new level, in that the person holding a class might not even know about someone's methods or what they are holding on to.
Translation to Rumbaugh
I think that once the CRC cards are essentially done, the final step would be to translate what you have to a Rumbaugh diagram. While having the separate notecards is good for implementing the individual classes, a Rumbaugh diagram will give the whole picture. Creating this will be easy as you can lay out the CRC cards so that you are simply putting on one sheet what you already have before you.
With all this said, I wonder if we should encourage this for the introductory class. I think that it is easier to use CRC cards than a Rumbaugh diagram at first, because you don't get into convention issues. Thus thinking out the program is an easier process. This design exercise could also be brought easily into section, and could be extremely educational. I'd be interested to see what we can do with this idea.

Reactions


Saul Daddy:

I think there are some problems having SET ways of designing and diagramming problems. I understand that if there is a standard, that many people from different places can design together. But, I think that many people don't learn or understand a Rimbaud diagram and have a difficult time using them. I think that it should be like organizing a paper in an English paper: there should be guidelines but for each person, there is a different way of learning.

response?


Danah:

Response to Saul: Although I agree with you that it is sometimes detrimental to have a set way, I think it is important for many beginners to be introduced to an initial set way and move forward from there. I find this to be a very valid form of that.


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