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Program Repair Shop

173

Let's Not Be Doctrinaire

• A red flag is a warning that something might be wrong

• Not every red flag requires that something be fixed

• I'm just giving good advice

• Not all of it will work all the time

     my ($x1, $y1, 
         $x2, $y2, 
         $x3, $y3) = @$win;

• I said that similarly-named variables are a red flag

• They should almost always be replaced by an array

• Try it both ways

• The array was a loser:

          if ($board->[$x[0]][$y[0]] eq $board->[$x[1]][$y[1]] 
          &&  $board->[$x[0]][$y[0]] eq $board->[$x[2]][$y[2]]) {
            return $board->[$x[0]][$y[0]];

• Almost always is not the same as always always

• This advice is not a substitute for independent thought

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Copyright © 2002 M. J. Dominus