[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       lucene-dev
Subject:    Re: Interfaces
From:       Todd VanderVeen <tdv () part ! net>
Date:       2005-03-17 15:34:26
Message-ID: 4239A382.4040501 () part ! net
[Download RAW message or body]

Erik Hatcher wrote:

> I think, though I'm not speaking for anyone here but myself, that the 
> Lucene team is open to API improvements that _do not adversely affect 
> performance_ and that have _a real benefit_.
>
> While I'm as IoC and design pattern savvy as the next developer, I'm 
> also highly pragmatic.  I've not been convinced by any of the examples 
> thus far.  If a unit test needs to detect if a document has been 
> added, you can check the size of the index before and after for 
> example, rather than doing some mock trickery to hook the addDocument 
> call.  Or you could use AspectJ to do this if you really wanted to get 
> fancy.  The unit test example shown is really a unit test appropriate 
> to Lucene itself, and not to a project using Lucene, it seems.  
> Pragmatically, have you ever had addDocument fail?  If not, then what 
> peace of mind are you getting from such a test?
>
> Ultimately, though, the decision to refactor the codebase to use 
> interfaces more pervasively lies with Doug.
>
>     Erik
>
I have seen this and several other similar requests dismissed with 
similar reasoning. I, myself, once made similar requests of the abstract 
classes in the analysis package. Yes, there are lots of ways to skin a 
cat, but I would ask that a different question be asked, "'What is 
risked in giving the flexibility to the user base to do it their way?" 
These requests are often simply an appeal for flexibility. I can 
understand the maintainers concerns about increasingly non-uniform use 
of the API and associated cost of helping those experimenting.  I don't 
know how comfortable the maintainers are with simply letting these 
people work it out for themselves or with the help of others in the 
forum, but I hope these concerns are weighed against the possible 
benefits to the people doing the myriad and sundry things they do with 
open source projects. Flexibility is a real benefit.

Cheers,
Todd VanderVeen

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: java-dev-unsubscribe@lucene.apache.org
For additional commands, e-mail: java-dev-help@lucene.apache.org

[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]