12 Most Common Programming Pitfalls

Peter Wayner lays out the “dirty dozen” most common programming mistakes in an article at InfoWorld. The mistakes come in pairs. For example: “closing the source” and “assuming openness is a cure-all.”

What would you add to or subtract from the list? Which of these pitfalls trips you up the most often? Do you have any strategies for avoiding these pitfalls?

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Here’s the list:

1. Playing it fast and loose
2. Overcommitting to details
3. Not simplifying control
4. Delegating too much to frameworks
5. Trusting the client
6. Not trusting the client enough
7. Relying too heavily on magic boxes
8. Reinventing the wheel
9. Opening up too much to the user
10. Overdetermining the user experience
11. Closing the source
12. Assuming openness is a cure-all

You can find detailed explanations in the original article.

Photo by Stephen Woods

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