How Intuit Manages 10 Million Lines of Code 304
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by
Unknown Lamer
from the lots-of-pasta dept.
from the lots-of-pasta dept.
CowboyRobot writes "Intuit launched QuickBooks in 1992, and it has grown into the best-selling retail software for small-business accounting worldwide. QuickBooks is available on multiple platforms with different feature sets (Pro, Premier, Enterprise), in specialized editions (accounting, contracting, etc.), is available on CD or via subscription, and is offered in localized versions for the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. How they manage so many builds is a case-study for large scale programming. 'The Windows version is about 80,000 source files, 10+ million lines of C++ code plus a little C# for the .NET parts. Plus help files, tax tables, files defining local accounting rules, tax and other government reporting forms, upgrade offers — a lot of files. Every customer gets the full version. Specific feature sets are turned on and off with the license key.' And the lessons are not just technical. 'One surprising lesson is that small teams work, even for very large codebases — especially, Burt says, in sustaining an entrepreneurial, creative culture.'"
Re:Bah. (Score:5, Funny)
Given that they haven't managed to come out with a native version of Quicken for Mac in over 6 years, I suspect that they kept that code on a napkin... then lost the napkin.
Re:Bah. (Score:5, Funny)
Real programmers kept their code on punch cards.
Or toggle patterns written on a napkin.
FTFY
My college took out the card punching stations the semester before I took Fortran, though they still had the vacuum drum reader and used it occasionally. And, of course, the CRT terminals were inputting card format - first six characters for line number, 78 characters per line max.
The fossilized prof told stories of entering assembly op codes, in octal, with rotary dial interfaces.
Now, get off my... um, I forget, but get off it, NOW!
Re:Was Intuit important in the past or something? (Score:4, Funny)
And, even they had some signficance sometime or somewhere, why should I care about how they manage lines of ancient code?
Because they roll up the money they make on re-selling the same code base year after year, insert the money in their nostrils, then finally, they separate out single lines of code and snort them.
That's why.
Re:No offense, but that doesn't sound like a lot (Score:5, Funny)
Just as a curiosity, why do you have a single file of more than 30K lines? Isn't that way over the top?
Not if the entire program is one enormous switch statement in the main() function.
Re:Bah. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bah. (Score:5, Funny)
People who own Macs don't understand technical geeky things like numbers and are way too cool for accounting.
Considering we overpay for everything and buy new iShinies every 3-6 months, I'd say keeping track of our finances is even more important for us than for you bottom feeding 99%ers and your 'PCs'.
Re:Bah. (Score:5, Funny)
Meds not working like they used to any longer? I know how you feel, try the little blue ones.
Re:Bah. (Score:5, Funny)
Does that mean Apple owes its existence to Microsoft?
I just felt a great disturbance in the Apple fandom, as if millions of fanboys suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.