Quotes by

Steve Maguire

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Don’t fix bugs later; fix them now.

Steve Maguire

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

#bug #fix

Never allow the same bug to bite you twice.

Steve Maguire

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

#bug

Don’t keep "trying" solutions until you find one that works. Take the time to find the correct solution.

Steve Maguire

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

#solution

Handle your special cases just one.

Steve Maguire

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

#exception

Don't clean up code unless the cleanup is critical to the product's success.

Steve Maguire

Enable all compiler warnings.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 1: A Hypothetical Compiler.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Use lint to catch bugs your compiler may miss.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 1: A Hypothetical Compiler.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Use a second algorithm to validate your results.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Step through every code path.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 4: Step Through Your Code.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Create thorough subsystem checks, and use them often.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 3: Fortify Your Subsystems.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Shred your garbage.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 3: Fortify Your Subsystems.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Document unclear assertions.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't hide bugs when you program defensively.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Either remove implicit assumptions, or assert that they are valid.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Maintain both ship and debug versions of your code.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Strip undefined behavior from your code.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Use assertions to detect impossible conditions.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

#condition #assertion

Use assertions to validate all function arguments.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 2: Assert Yourself.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Design your tests carefully. Nothing should be arbitrary.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 3: Fortify Your Subsystem

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Eliminate random behavior. Force bugs to be reproducible.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 3: Fortify Your Subsystems.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

If something happens rarely, force it to happen often.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 3: Fortify Your Subsystems.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Strive to implement transparent integrity checks.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 3: Fortify Your Subsystems.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

As you step through code, focus on data flow.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 4: Step Through Your Code.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't wait until you have a bug to step through your code.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 4: Step Through Your Code.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

#bug #code

Always look for, and eliminate, flaws in your interfaces.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 5: Candy-Machine Interfaces.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Define explicit function arguments. Eliminate ambiguity.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 5: Candy-Machine Interfaces.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't write multipurpose functions. Write separate functions to allow stronger argument validation.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 5: Candy-Machine Interfaces.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Make code intelligible at the point of call. Avoid Boolean arguments.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 5: Candy-Machine Interfaces.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Make it hard to ignore error conditions. Don't bury error codes in return values.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 5: Candy-Machine Interfaces.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Write comments that emphasize potential hazards.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 5: Candy-Machine Interfaces.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Write functions that, given valid inputs, cannot fail.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 5: Candy-Machine Interfaces.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Always ask, "Can this variable or expression over- or underflow?"

Steve Maguire

Chapter 6: Risky Business.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Implement 'The Task' just once. Handle special cases just once.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 6: Risky Business.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Implement your designs as accurately as possible.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 6: Risky Business.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't reference memory that you don't own.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 7: Treacheries of the Trade.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Throw away your bag of tricks. Be truly clever: Write boring code.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 7: Treacheries of the Trade.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Tight C code does not guarantee efficient machine code.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 7: Treacheries of the Trade.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't allow unnecessary flexibility.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 8: The Rest Is Attitude.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't clean up code unless the cleanup is critical to the product's success.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 8: The Rest Is Attitude.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't fix bugs later; fix them now.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 8: The Rest Is Attitude.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't implement nonstrategic features. There is no free lunch.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 8: The Rest Is Attitude.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Don't keep 'trying' solutions until you find one that works. Take the time to find the correct solution.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 8: The Rest Is Attitude.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Fix the cause, not the symptom.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 8: The Rest Is Attitude.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Write and test code in small chunks. Always test your code, even if that means your schedule will slip.

Steve Maguire

Chapter 8: The Rest Is Attitude.

Writing Solid Code: Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free C Programs by Steve Maguire

ISBN: 1556155514 This book is available from Amazon

Quotes by

Steve Maguire

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