9.3 Developing a software solution

Question 1

What does a “clear and uncluttered mainline” refer to?

Answer 1

The mainline refers to the section of code that is first run when the program starts. Keeping the mainline uncluttered means minimising the amount of processing done in that section of code, and instead writing subroutines to handle that processing. The mainline calls these subroutines (and those subroutines may call other subroutines).

If the subroutines are appropriately named, it is easy to understand the broad steps involved in the processing involved across the entire application.

Question 2

In which stage of the software development cycle is the criteria for evaluating the quality of the final solution established?

Answer 2

Defining and understanding the problem