Logo Questions Linux Laravel Mysql Ubuntu Git Menu
 

Having another programmer take over an existing project

Tags:

asp.net

This question is not coming from a programmer. (obviously) I currently have a programmer making a website for me and I am realizing that he isn't going to completely work out.

He has already done quite a bit of work and the site is almost there but I need someone who is better to take it the rest of way. The site has been done in asp.net and I am wondering how hard it would be for a more experienced programmer to take over and finish the work he has already done?

In general, is it hard for an asp.net programmer to come in towards the end of a project and fix what needs to be fixed?

There is five different pages on the site with two overlays for a signup and sign in. (Five pages with many different versions) There is a database and client-side scripting. AJAX was also used. It's a site somewhat similar to SO only not quite as complex and about something completly different. I would say think of something that falls somewhere between Stackoverflow and Craig's List. Thats all I can say now as I don't know the technical words.

like image 918
nick2653 Avatar asked Dec 24 '09 01:12

nick2653


People also ask

What is meant by legacy project?

What are legacy projects? Legacy projects are projects or activities you do to honor the life of your loved one. They are ways to interact with the things they loved physically, and to share them with the world.

How do multiple programmers work on the same project at the same time?

Multiple programmers work together by using team management tools and version control systems like Git (distributed), Mercurial (distributed), and Subversion (centralized). There is a variation in how tasks are assigned and executed depending on the size of the project, the type, and the company.

What is a legacy project for coding?

In software development, we often use the terms “legacy code” and “legacy projects” to describe the projects and codebases that are old and difficult to maintain.


2 Answers

You'll probably find that the new programmer will want to rewrite most of the code from scratch. If you are on a tight deadline or tight budget and can't accept a complete rewrite then you will need to hire someone that is not just good at writing good code, but good at reading, refactoring and improving bad code. It is two completely different skillsets and the second is much rarer. Depending on the quality of the existing code (and I'm assuming here that it is not good), your new programmer may end up rewriting much of the existing codebase just to understand what is going on.

like image 110
Mark Byers Avatar answered Sep 18 '22 23:09

Mark Byers


Depends on how good the previous programmer was and on the complexity of the project. It might be anything between trivial (well commented source, some high-level docs, unit tests, modular or simple project), to "this crap needs a complete rewrite" (no docs, custom "let's try this" solutions, etc.). If you're not a developer it might be really hard to tell. And other people won't be able to answer without more details.

like image 37
viraptor Avatar answered Sep 18 '22 23:09

viraptor