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This is a prime example of why good documentation is needed.
Back in the DOS days, before windows, I wrote a complete UI (that worked in graphics and text mode). It had one overriding theme, every thing was checked; if it failed, it happen before the UI function call was made. If it happen after, then resources where exhausted (memory or disk space).
What is with the "good documentation" comment?
Well, some-times speed is more important than parameter checking (such as memset)! If every function checked it's parameters' then we would be producing redundant code. Therefor, if a function that you are calling already does parameter checking then why check before calling that function.
I automatically want to check each and every parameter passed to every function that I write.
"Know when to hold them; Know when to fold them; Know when to walk away"
INTP
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A pessimist sees the glass as half-empty.
An optimist sees the glass as half-full.
An engineer sees the glass as incorrectly sized for the volume of water. 
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An oldie, but a goodie.
"Fish and guests stink in three days." - Benjamin Franlkin
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And yet another oldie:
The optimist believes we live in the best possible world.
The pessimist fears he's right.
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If I put aside reality then I would be a pessimist, because every thing is relative to your own point of view. The best possible world depends on who's eye's you are looking through.
INTP
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:-DOk you made me smile. Thanks!
INTP
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Terry Pratchett says it best:
A pessimist sees the glass as half empty
An optimist sees the glass as half full
But the world belongs to they that say - hey this isn't my glass, mine was bigger and full - who's been pinching my beer?!
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Not sure I understand why everyone here seems to think "Realist" is very close to "pessimist". I take "realist" to mean somebody wou could be optimistic, but realizes things won't work out magically by themselves. A realist is an optimist who realizes that it takes work to make things work out. Example, your code won't magically be bug free, but if you test it, carefully debug that memory leak, etc., you probably will have a good product.
"Fish and guests stink in three days." - Benjamin Franlkin
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The reason is that most people who are pessimistic call themselves realist because they predict accurately the pitfalls of developing. This is also called the law of self fulfilling prophecies. If you think it will go wrong then it most likely will go wrong.
An optimist is, IMO, someone who realises it might go wrong, but sees the solutions to fixing it quickly or far enough ahead of time that it doesn't go wrong.
Which ever way you lean, one thing is for certain. The same stuff happens to us all. It is what you do with that stuff that makes the difference.
"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." --Zig Ziglar
The Second EuroCPian Event will be in Brussels on the 4th of September
Can't manage to P/Invoke that Win32 API in .NET? Why not do interop the wiki way!
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Optimist: I am good and when I am finish writing the code it will not break.
Realist: I am good and I will (try) to check all possible pitfalls, but the there is always the possiblity the code will break (not if I can prevent it).
Pessimist: The code will break. Know matter what I do to prevent it, it will eventual break.
More definitions:
Optimist: I will not break;
Realist: It might break, but it is highly unlikely.
Pessimist: It will break, sooner or latter.
INTP
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:-DI agree 100%. I am a realist! In most cases I expect it to work, but when it breaks I am not surprised. I used to say that is not possible, then reality hit! Even if I am possitive there is nothing wrong with the code, I check it anyway.
"To assume makes an ass out of u and me"
INTP
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I knew it was not going to work, they tried to make it work, but it didnt work.
so am i pessimistic or realisitic???
I'll write a suicide note on a hundred dollar bill - Dire Straits
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Realistic if you realised this and then became part of the solution
Pessimistic if you sat back and shook your head
Look at the world about you and trust to your own convictions. - Ansel Adams
Meg's World - Blog
Photography
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Megan Forbes wrote:
Pessimistic if you sat back and shook your head
then i am pessimistic, coz i sat back and did not become part of the solution(there was no solution) coz i dont fight a loosing battle.
I'll write a suicide note on a hundred dollar bill - Dire Straits
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But I had no idea (wow, that's almost as good as the poet but didn't know it nonsense  )
Here I'd always thought I was an optimist. But, the amusing explanations on the poll made me think a little. Things will mostly work out - if you are prepared to put in some effort. I love my life, but if I was too lazy to work at it maybe it wouldn't be quite such fun to live it.
I guess we do learn something new everyday after all 
Look at the world about you and trust to your own convictions. - Ansel Adams
Meg's World - Blog
Photography
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I knew there was a reason I like you... a natural engineer.
Megan Forbes wrote:
the poet but didn't know it
Longfellows, eh? And here I'd had you pegged as a size 6 or so.;)
Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
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Every failure is the customer's fault. Every success is the result of my great foresight.
Marc
Microsoft MVP, Visual C#
MyXaml
MyXaml Blog
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Sounds like a programmer to me.
Wait thats wrong! Thats a feature not a bug!
INTP
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*cough* closet pessimist in the making *cough*
:P
regards,
Paul Watson
Bluegrass
South Africa
Ian Darling wrote:
"and our loonies usually end up doing things like Monty Python."
Crikey! ain't life grand?
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This must become a perfect pessimist, for the making is going on for 10 years..
we are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is Vonnegut jr.
sighist || Agile Programming | doxygen
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Marvin, the Paranoid android, from H2G2, is one of the
most depressed - pessimistic being in the multi-verse
(multi-verse being equivalent to the whole general mish
mash of universes and parallel universes)
Its more difficult to be optimistic that being pessimistic.
I am optimistic, but I feel depressed much of the time because
reality lets me down.
I imagine a pessimistic being, who whould cheer up, because
he-she doesn't expect much from our multi-verse, occasionally
is surprised into experiencing something positive.
Well, I am getting tired to pick up pessimistic folks around
me - it takes away from my limited pool of energy. Those with
an optimistic outlook on life have to expand a larger amount
of energy than those with a pessimistic outlook.
I disbeleive in reality. But that's another story...
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Bamaco2 wrote:
reality lets me down.
The Guide is authoritative; life is frequently wrong.
Bamaco2 wrote:
it takes away from my limited pool of energy
One negative person can suck the life out of an unlimited number of victims. I call such people 'energy vampires' and avoid them at all costs. If you're stuck on a project team with one, fire him/her, or find that loser a better job somewhere else - preferably working for your competitor.
Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
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Roger Wright wrote:
Some people think of it as a six-pack; I consider it more of a support group.
INTP
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