Click here to Skip to main content
15,891,633 members

Survey Results

Are you a top-down or bottom-up programmer?   [Edit]

Survey period: 28 Jun 2004 to 4 Jul 2004

Do you code starting with the big picture logic and move down, or start coding in smaller operational modules and grow your application up?

OptionVotes% 
I generally work top-down31022.17
Combination: Top-down for logic and bottom-up for operational54338.84
I generally work bottom-up30621.89
Not sure / I'm inconsistent / It depends23917.10



 
GeneralGet the work done Pin
Code Lover3-Jul-04 9:55
Code Lover3-Jul-04 9:55 
GeneralI try top-down, Pin
Keith Ackermann2-Jul-04 10:57
Keith Ackermann2-Jul-04 10:57 
GeneralWhere to start? Pin
Jon Harley30-Jun-04 14:54
Jon Harley30-Jun-04 14:54 
GeneralRe: Where to start? Pin
Weiye Chen30-Jun-04 20:05
Weiye Chen30-Jun-04 20:05 
GeneralRe: Where to start? Pin
ColinDavies2-Jul-04 2:25
ColinDavies2-Jul-04 2:25 
GeneralRe: Where to start? Pin
fabulous1-Jul-04 23:49
fabulous1-Jul-04 23:49 
GeneralRe: Where to start? Pin
Shams Mukhtar2-Jul-04 3:55
Shams Mukhtar2-Jul-04 3:55 
GeneralRe: Where to start? Pin
Jon Harley2-Jul-04 18:07
Jon Harley2-Jul-04 18:07 
GeneralLike any bad programmer, I'm inconsistent. Pin
Nick Seng29-Jun-04 15:15
Nick Seng29-Jun-04 15:15 
GeneralRe: Like any bad programmer, I'm inconsistent. Pin
devvvy30-Jun-04 6:49
devvvy30-Jun-04 6:49 
GeneralRe: Like any bad programmer, I'm inconsistent. Pin
Weiye Chen30-Jun-04 19:57
Weiye Chen30-Jun-04 19:57 
GeneralRe: Like any bad programmer, I'm inconsistent. Pin
WillemM1-Jul-04 6:35
WillemM1-Jul-04 6:35 
GeneralRe: Like any bad programmer, I'm inconsistent. Pin
Mohammed Derbashi2-Jul-04 19:50
professionalMohammed Derbashi2-Jul-04 19:50 
GeneralDepends Pin
ian mariano29-Jun-04 11:22
ian mariano29-Jun-04 11:22 
GeneralLike any truly cool programmer, I do both! Pin
Gary Wheeler29-Jun-04 5:00
Gary Wheeler29-Jun-04 5:00 
GeneralIt's quiet. Too quiet. (sound of crickets chirping) Pin
Gary Wheeler29-Jun-04 9:26
Gary Wheeler29-Jun-04 9:26 
GeneralRe: Like any truly cool programmer, I do both! Pin
WillemM1-Jul-04 6:36
WillemM1-Jul-04 6:36 
GeneralCombo Pin
Bamaco229-Jun-04 5:00
Bamaco229-Jun-04 5:00 
I still remember my old school days, almost 20 years ago, when the IT teacher told us something that made sense to me at a time:

- "Take any problem of any size, and try to cut it into smaller chunks, then cut down those chunks into smaller chunks and so on until you end up with small, managable chunks."

This sounds like bottom up, but actually, I feel that the "top down" part would be the "problem cutting" while the "bottom up" part would be individual chunks.

My own technique, once I have cut down my problem and started to manage some of the smaller chunks is to glue things back together until I have one or more "large" chunks of solutions. Then I play with those.

The only problem is: The total number of chunks that I started with is never the exact same as what I had at first, because, for any problem that is big enough to force us to go through this technique, there is a learning process that allows one to "discover" new chunk of problems, and realize their solutions. There is also, from time to time, some unexpected solution that turns out to be re-usable and that solves a considerable abount of problems.

GeneralRe: Combo Pin
Don Clugston29-Jun-04 15:00
Don Clugston29-Jun-04 15:00 
GeneralIt depends Pin
John R. Shaw28-Jun-04 18:01
John R. Shaw28-Jun-04 18:01 
GeneralNone of the above Pin
Marc Clifton28-Jun-04 10:55
mvaMarc Clifton28-Jun-04 10:55 
GeneralRe: None of the above Pin
David Stone28-Jun-04 11:00
sitebuilderDavid Stone28-Jun-04 11:00 
GeneralRe: None of the above Pin
Marc Clifton28-Jun-04 11:35
mvaMarc Clifton28-Jun-04 11:35 
GeneralRe: None of the above Pin
David Stone28-Jun-04 12:40
sitebuilderDavid Stone28-Jun-04 12:40 
GeneralBrainstorm Pin
Daniel Turini28-Jun-04 10:48
Daniel Turini28-Jun-04 10:48 

General General    News News    Suggestion Suggestion    Question Question    Bug Bug    Answer Answer    Joke Joke    Praise Praise    Rant Rant    Admin Admin   

Use Ctrl+Left/Right to switch messages, Ctrl+Up/Down to switch threads, Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right to switch pages.