>>I've never heard of "Mom's rule". What is that?
>
>"If you use it - put it back the way it was"
Also can be said: "leave things the way you found them."
The first time I saw this rule stated for the programming standard was on the Universal Thread a week or two ago ... I loved it, I grabbed it right away. It appeals to me more than the older term: "black box code".
(For you younger programmers, "black box" refers to a function/subroutine that is like a black box machine. You don't have to know what's inside. You put something in, it gives something predictable back, and it doesn't change anything that's outside of itself.)
Rich Addison, Micro Vane, Inc., Kalamazoo, MI
Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew.
- Charlie Papazian, The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing