professional programmers, do you spend more time writing or modifying code

I was just curious what some of the professional coders on this board do more: write code from scratch, or modify code.

I personally heard most programmers modify code more, but I was just wondering what this board has to say.

Any insight would help!

this one isn't even hard for me...

modify.
especially if it's a windows app, it's easy to keep a skeleton on hand and just add or remove stuff.
I made a serious of dos apps for work this summer. They were supposed to search for part numbers in files. They were tailored to each employee and their machine. I (finally) got a bug free version, of which i just changed bits and peices for 50 diff programs.

Modify, most of the time :mad: Damn, my creativity is lost in my job :rolleyes:

The only programs I get to write completely are probably no more than 200 lines, and are "quick fixes" to suit specific purposes.

At least 75% of work is code maintenance mostly written by people who didnt know what a comment was!

ive written everything ive done, ive never modified anyone elses code, but of course when your programming your constantly modifying your own code.

I'd just like to point something out :)

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professional programmers, do you spend more time writing or modifying code?

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>>professional

i was paid to write dos apps in the summer for the company i work for.

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professional

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i make money for programming...

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pro·fes·sion·al-Performed by persons receiving pay

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so like i said, i write all my code.

I spend more time looking at porn.

>>looking at porn

another tell tale trait of programmers :)

some of us actually get laid you know....

I spend about
50% modifying.
25% rewriting.
25% writing completely new code.

My biggest weakness is for rewriting. Always seems like there's a 'better way'. :o

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Originally posted by Cgawd
i make money for programming...



so like i said, i write all my code.

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I sold "Hello World" to a hobo for a quarter. I guess i'm a professional programmer now.

ide say professionals make more then $0.25, but its ur call where u draw the line

one dumb hobo

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some of us actually get laid you know....

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I get laid all the time!!! Sometimes with female humans!

as long as its female, doesnt have to be human

GOATS!!!

reminds me of 10 things i hate about you...good movie

one time when i was like 12, there was this dog down the street that knocked me over and started humping my leg. it was mysize * 2 and I thought I was going to die.

and im not joking, but it was female so that is good (according to you people)

>> but it was female so that is good

Trust me mate, THATS NOT GOOD

why woudla femeale dog hump your leg? i mena, what does it get out of it? unless it's one of THOSE females...you nkow...those....lmao

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Originally posted by Cgawd
ide say professionals make more then $0.25, but its ur call where u draw the line

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According to that definition, I could make $0.01 programming and still call myself a professional.

I developed a webpage for a friends company awhile back, I got paid for it... but i'm by NO means a professional web-developer.

well I think we all know that being employed is different than getting some money for doing one single thing

anyway from what i know most development is modifying/maintaining code, and that if you looked at the overall development process writing code receievs an exponentially smaller percentage of work (from planning to coding to testing to maintaining and all the other steps I missed)

if you want an awesome book that talks about the development of software very thoroughly i suggest the book Code Complete. It's the only product put out by microsoft that doesn't crash!

not if you throw it and the comp out eh window

Modifying, much to my disappointment.

-Prelude

I spend about 90% writing code from scratch. I do mostly web work so I do start with a foundation I've built in Struts, but I did code that myself. :p

The other 10% is spent rewriting/updating/bugfixing existing projects. I enjoy going through old stuff just to see how stupid I was two months ago. :o

At work we mostly build our software upon existing code and within a software framework. So in some way it is writing new software, but I think modifying is a better term.

75% designing
20% writing
05% debugging/modifying

mark twice, cut once, I always say.

40% Designing
35% Writing
25% Modifying/Debugging/Rewriting