Teaching my dad SP/OOP

My dad learned programming a very long time ago, and he just started to program again to write configuration utilities for his employer. I've looked at some of his code with horror, because it's completely brute-forced.

The latest program he wrote was a demo program to mimic the functionality of a larger, real program. (The demo is meant to be used to show customers how the program, or, rather, a specific function of the program, works.) In this demo program, he reads an INI file for configuration, but, rather than using a library to read it, he just loops through the strings testing for the one he wants.

Here's a small sample of what I mean, slightly edited.


Do While (Not str Is Nothing)
  If (Strings.Left(str, 10) = "[Blarg]") Then
    str = reader.ReadLine
    Do While Not ((Strings.Left(str, 1) = "[") Or (str Is Nothing))
      If (Strings.Left(str, 9) = "Honk") Then
        Me.InputPath = Strings.Trim(Strings.Split(str, "=", -1, CompareMethod.Binary)(1))
      End If
    str = reader.ReadLine
    Loop
  ' ...
  End if
Loop

I've tried explaining OOP to him, and have told him that there's a very good .NET INI library (Nini), but he just shrugs it off.

So, /prog/, any suggestions for helping my dad learn the benefits of not writing unneeded, hackish code, and using OOP. (Please no OOP/FP debates; he's using VB.NET, and I think that F# is WAY too over his head right now.)

Pronounced Ooope

(rhymes with loop)

How exactly does not reinventing the wheel and just using existing libraries relate to OOP?

>>1
Pretty nice code -- your father is obviously an Enlightened programmer.

Please read SICP and do not bother him with silly distractions such as OOP.

In VB.NET you use ``nothing'' instead of the usual ``nil'' or ``NULL''.

>>1
Just show him an example subroutine that can do the above, but in a generic manner.

One word, GetPrivateProfileString, thread over.

>>4
And we have been constantly trolled.

this thread is now about OOP vs. sane code.

Quite right. OOP is the only sane code.

VB sucks, read SICP.

VB sucks so hard it bends light.  Has he ever considered writing assembly instead?  He'd be good at it.

>>1
My dad is kind of similar. He's been programming for ages, mostly in variants of Basic (Turbo Basic and VB 5, most recently), although he knows webby languages like Javascript and PHP as well. I'm sure his code looks awful, although I don't read it.

But you know what? It works. It runs a web page, generates animations with compositing, or whatever it's meant to do. I'm not going to argue.

Damn you Sussman for destroying /prog/. After we got that email from the Sussman, /prog/ changed completely.

>>15
Yeah, all the SICPfags STFU'd, mostly. A change for the better.

>>16
READ SICP MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

>>17
Underage b&.
Don't turn /prog/ into /comp/.

>>18
back to /b/, please

Teach your dad SICP

>>16
Have you read SICP?

Has your dad read SICP?

Have I read SICP? I've forgotten. Damn Alzheimer's.

>>23
If in doubt -- read SICP.

READ SICP

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