This is the last message today, and my third cop (actually, third in the afternoon/evening... plus four during hours)... oops, cup.
>It's easy enough to lead the horse to water, and with effort and dedication you can even make him drink. But who is to say the horse will drink in a politically correct fashion if you don't take the time to train him (or beat it into his/her head) what politically correct means. :) (ok, time for the third cup)
Assuming that "politically correct" in this context means "OOP orthodoxy", you're right. As to the horse's PEM, you can only judge by its belly afterwards - if it swells or not. If your code is implemented right (whatever that may mean), you'll be able to sleep tight and call _that_ maintenance :), else your horse's digestion is troubled and you'll sweat & swear over implementation and curse the maintenance. Reality usually falls in between...
Taking the horse to the water, cute, but try to make him swim on his back :)
p.s. Is it "politically correct" to call us programmers? I don't like the term "developer" - for me, it represents a bottle of brownish liquid. I used to spend many hours in the photo lab :)