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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>case and paste</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../C.html" title="C"/><link rel="previous" href="cascade.html" title="cascade"/><link rel="next" href="case-mod.html" title="case mod"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">case and paste</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="cascade.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">C</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="case-mod.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="case-and-paste"/><dt xmlns="" id="case-and-paste"><b>case and paste</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> [from &#8216;cut and paste&#8217;] </p></dd><dd><p> The addition of a new <a href="../F/feature.html"><i class="glossterm">feature</i></a> to an existing
system by selecting the code from an existing feature and pasting it in
with minor changes. Common in telephony circles because most operations in
a telephone switch are selected using <b class="command">case</b>
statements. Leads to <a href="../S/software-bloat.html"><i class="glossterm">software bloat</i></a>.</p><p>In some circles of EMACS users this is called &#8216;programming by
Meta-W&#8217;, because Meta-W is the EMACS command for copying a block of
text to a kill buffer in preparation to pasting it in elsewhere. The term
is condescending, implying that the programmer is acting mindlessly rather
than thinking carefully about what is required to integrate the code for
two similar cases.</p><p>At <a href="../D/DEC.html"><i class="glossterm">DEC</i></a> (now HP), this is sometimes called
<span class="firstterm">clone-and-hack</span> coding.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="cascade.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../C.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="case-mod.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">cascade </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> case mod</td></tr></table></div></body></html>