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Poll Summary

Number Of Votes Cast
62,013
Overall Acceptance Rates
Choice Number Percentage
Yes 40,270 65%
No 13,756 22%
Undecided 7,987 13%

Servlets and JSPsYesNoUndecidedVotes
A Web App Framework - WEB4J 61% 19% 20% 1164
Always maintain HttpSessions 76% 15% 9% 129
Beware multilingual submit buttons 62% 21% 17% 110
Beware of common hacks 85% 7% 7% 95
Beware of custom cookies 82% 6% 12% 84
Beware of doubly escaped ampersands 77% 14% 9% 69
Beware of URL rewriting 62% 25% 13% 127
Choose form validation style carefully 73% 16% 11% 109
Consider Controllers for redirects 50% 25% 25% 32
Do not synchronize doGet, doPost 69% 20% 11% 688
Emit flexible URLs 74% 10% 16% 50
Escape special characters 61% 28% 11% 800
Forward versus redirect 73% 14% 13% 536
JSPs should contain only presentation logic 88% 7% 6% 213
Loss of data during restart 60% 16% 24% 68
Manage sessions closely 81% 10% 8% 145
Measure web app performance 86% 7% 7% 156
Minimize site response time 76% 13% 12% 86
Parse parameters into domain objects 33% 38% 29% 21
Pre-populate forms 46% 35% 19% 83
Prefer JSTL tags 74% 15% 11% 189
Prefer UTF-8 in all layers 81% 10% 10% 115
Prevent self-linking 42% 50% 8% 24
Refactor large Controllers 75% 12% 12% 16
Repel invalid requests 73% 14% 14% 22
Reuse login page for errors 69% 20% 11% 143
Send trouble-ticket emails 57% 14% 29% 21
Serve binary content 55% 23% 21% 47
Session-scope objects often Serializable 77% 10% 13% 92
Struts seems mediocre 44% 37% 19% 194
Thread-safety in web apps 75% 15% 9% 281
Understand details of FORM tags 79% 8% 12% 24
Use Cascading Style Sheets 80% 14% 6% 64
Use extensions for fine-grained security 59% 29% 12% 34
Use Model-View-Controller framework 89% 3% 7% 273
Use templates to standardize layout 54% 37% 9% 35
Validate email addresses 44% 41% 14% 346
Validate generated HTML 73% 15% 12% 254
Web usability guidelines 87% 3% 10% 31
Wrap file upload requests 49% 25% 25% 55
SwingYesNoUndecidedVotes
A Swing App - StocksMonitor 64% 17% 19% 273
Actions 70% 18% 12% 74
Align menu items 67% 20% 13% 84
Change theme 71% 16% 13% 134
Consider JGoodies Forms for layouts 77% 7% 16% 83
Don't bury dialogs 59% 18% 23% 22
Don't subclass JDialog or JFrame 32% 38% 30% 110
Filter table rows 57% 36% 7% 14
Input dialogs 53% 24% 24% 34
Launch other applications 80% 20% 0% 20
Layout Managers 65% 22% 13% 159
Look and Feel guidelines 85% 9% 7% 46
Minimal Swing application 68% 17% 15% 59
Observers and listeners 41% 31% 28% 119
Preferences dialogs 40% 16% 44% 25
Provide an uncaught exception handler 57% 22% 21% 76
Render table cells 70% 14% 16% 232
Sort table rows 47% 29% 24% 49
Splash screen 58% 30% 12% 259
Standardized dialogs 54% 33% 12% 24
Swing in general 75% 9% 16% 32
Swing threads 58% 23% 18% 132
Swing utility tasks 78% 16% 6% 32
Timers 31% 54% 15% 107
Using JavaHelp 56% 28% 16% 79
Using preferences 44% 34% 22% 59
Verify input with Model Objects 67% 22% 11% 9
Verify input with regular expressions 45% 33% 21% 33
ExceptionsYesNoUndecidedVotes
Avoid @throws in javadoc 46% 32% 22% 254
Avoid empty catch blocks 84% 9% 7% 270
Be specific in throws clause 58% 35% 7% 225
Beware of unknown root causes 44% 19% 38% 16
Checked versus unchecked exceptions 53% 28% 19% 1237
Exception translation 90% 7% 3% 91
Exceptions and control flow 70% 15% 15% 133
Finally and catch 68% 19% 13% 465
Javadoc all exceptions 53% 28% 19% 86
Pass all pertinent data to exceptions 96% 1% 3% 97
Stack trace as String 77% 14% 9% 658
Use template for repeated try-catch 61% 11% 28% 61
Input-OutputYesNoUndecidedVotes
Always close streams 79% 13% 8% 249
Buffering usually appropriate 91% 7% 2% 54
Console input 51% 32% 18% 200
Copy a file 70% 24% 6% 50
Reading and writing binary files 54% 25% 22% 138
Reading and writing Serializable objects 62% 26% 12% 250
Reading and writing text files 62% 22% 16% 2914
DatabasesYesNoUndecidedVotes
Business identifiers as String 84% 11% 5% 228
Connection pools 87% 7% 7% 256
Consider data layer tools 61% 18% 21% 28
Consider using standard SQL 71% 15% 14% 80
Consider wrapper classes for optional data 75% 13% 12% 60
Data access objects 62% 20% 17% 225
Data exception wrapping 78% 13% 9% 46
Data is king 89% 6% 6% 87
Don't perform basic SQL tasks in code 85% 10% 5% 60
Encapsulate connections 82% 8% 11% 38
Keep SQL out of code 55% 32% 13% 151
Prefer PreparedStatement 92% 3% 5% 59
Reduce database code duplication 95% 0% 5% 22
Remember the basics of database design 89% 6% 6% 53
Simplify database operations 56% 19% 25% 16
Try pseudo-persistence for mock ups 73% 14% 14% 22
Use template for transactions 69% 6% 25% 16
CollectionsYesNoUndecidedVotes
Choosing the right Collection 83% 9% 8% 491
Encapsulate collections 84% 5% 10% 153
Iterate without an index 75% 19% 6% 253
Prefer Collections over older classes 84% 7% 9% 97
Two ways of using Iterator 62% 23% 15% 943
Use for-each liberally 83% 11% 6% 162
Use interface references to Collections 69% 19% 12% 90
Use standard Collections 80% 7% 13% 111
Overriding Object MethodsYesNoUndecidedVotes
Avoid clone 43% 35% 21% 435
Implementing compareTo 53% 31% 15% 309
Implementing equals 60% 27% 14% 257
Implementing hashCode 57% 26% 17% 343
Implementing toString 50% 31% 19% 335
Never rely on finalize 68% 18% 13% 76
Common TasksYesNoUndecidedVotes
Arrays as String 45% 38% 16% 238
Clipboard copy and paste 80% 12% 8% 1407
Command line operations 42% 43% 15% 117
Compare and sort Strings 59% 27% 14% 199
Copy an array 62% 27% 11% 533
Determine if Strings are equal 72% 20% 8% 452
Examine bytecode 50% 39% 11% 36
Fetch web page and header 66% 20% 15% 294
Generate random numbers 64% 26% 11% 7606
Get database connection 56% 28% 16% 1044
Get size of object in memory 39% 46% 16% 302
Implement code tables 52% 21% 27% 33
Internationalization 52% 23% 25% 44
Logging messages 63% 20% 16% 1141
Measure application performance 78% 15% 7% 54
Modernize old code 89% 7% 5% 44
Open file in native directory 100% 0% 0% 1
Parse text 62% 21% 18% 550
Pattern-match lines of a file 59% 29% 12% 175
Read jar version information 62% 30% 8% 37
Recovering resources 88% 6% 6% 33
Recursive file listing 75% 15% 10% 1008
Replace a substring 60% 30% 10% 358
Representing money 76% 12% 12% 410
Send an email 57% 23% 20% 1813
Time execution speed 73% 21% 6% 119
Common Design PatternsYesNoUndecidedVotes
Abstract Factory 69% 18% 13% 129
Command objects 58% 16% 26% 19
Factory methods 63% 21% 16% 584
Immutable objects 83% 8% 8% 853
Lazy initialization 74% 16% 10% 124
Model Objects 68% 13% 19% 78
Plugin Factory 71% 14% 14% 21
Private constructor 74% 15% 11% 717
Singleton 73% 18% 9% 265
Template method 72% 21% 8% 53
Type-Safe Enumerations 80% 11% 9% 339
Wrapper (Decorator) 78% 17% 6% 18
Common PracticesYesNoUndecidedVotes
Avoid basic style errors 86% 9% 5% 76
Avoid raw types 80% 14% 6% 143
Beware of instanceof operator 61% 24% 16% 1403
Class for constants 68% 20% 11% 474
Construct classes from the outside in 92% 6% 2% 49
Do not break portability 74% 19% 6% 62
Don't declare local variables before use 59% 26% 14% 182
Fields should usually be private 68% 19% 13% 94
Interface for constants 31% 58% 11% 522
Know the core libraries 89% 1% 9% 76
Minimize ripple effects 90% 4% 6% 97
Naming conventions 32% 62% 7% 276
Nest classes with care 100% 0% 0% 1
Output parameters 43% 39% 19% 124
Separate public and private members 72% 23% 5% 61
String concatenation does not scale 86% 10% 4% 145
Tag or marker interfaces 67% 22% 11% 96
Uncommon classes need explicit imports 77% 13% 10% 77
Use @Override liberally 88% 7% 5% 164
Use final liberally 61% 25% 15% 386
Use javadoc liberally 77% 11% 12% 118
Use static imports rarely 60% 26% 14% 367
Use System.exit with care 67% 20% 13% 504
Use Version Control tools 74% 13% 13% 23
Validate method arguments 66% 22% 11% 161
Wisdom, not rules 100% 0% 0% 20
InheritanceYesNoUndecidedVotes
Consider composition instead of subclassing 78% 8% 14% 121
Designing for subclassing 70% 17% 13% 54
Overridable methods need special care 84% 5% 11% 80
Remember styles of inheritance 92% 0% 8% 39
More Common PracticesYesNoUndecidedVotes
Avoid null if possible 63% 24% 13% 225
Beware of Byte Order Marks 60% 40% 0% 5
Beware of DecimalFormat 43% 33% 23% 150
Beware of floating point numbers 90% 8% 2% 90
Clarifying method 91% 7% 3% 76
Coding conventions 86% 5% 9% 76
Compile regular expressions once 79% 12% 10% 42
Conditional compile 50% 39% 11% 168
Consider code generators 77% 12% 11% 65
Consider immutable forms for dates 46% 39% 15% 46
Conventional name for return value 76% 18% 6% 112
Defensive copying 86% 6% 8% 317
Design by Contract 84% 7% 9% 116
Don't use tab characters 29% 67% 4% 193
Extra space in argument list 20% 73% 6% 469
Generating unique IDs 59% 27% 13% 1440
Include 'from', exclude 'to' 76% 16% 9% 45
Multiple return statements 56% 33% 11% 349
Overloading can be tricky 75% 16% 9% 80
Package by feature, not layer 67% 16% 17% 486
Passwords never in clear text 70% 15% 14% 84
Prefer empty items to null ones 72% 20% 9% 312
Quote dynamic text when logging 86% 9% 5% 64
Self-encapsulate fields 61% 18% 21% 149
Structs are occasionally useful 71% 25% 4% 28
Test using main method 41% 49% 10% 93
Try alternatives to ResourceBundle 29% 38% 33% 48
Use a fake system clock 63% 22% 15% 94
Use a testing framework (JUnit) 83% 9% 8% 100
Use Ant for build scripts 75% 14% 11% 194
Use boxing with care 66% 22% 12% 160
Use enums to restrict arguments 76% 11% 13% 82
Validate state with class invariants 61% 23% 16% 57
Validation belongs in a Model Object 60% 33% 7% 98
AssertionsYesNoUndecidedVotes
Assert is for private arguments only 86% 11% 3% 118
Assert use cases 41% 41% 18% 119
Assertions in general 93% 7% 0% 28
Force enabling of assertions 57% 30% 13% 46
ConstructorsYesNoUndecidedVotes
Avoid JavaBeans style of construction 66% 19% 16% 392
Beware of mistaken field redeclares 83% 10% 7% 30
Construct Object using class name 54% 32% 14% 167
Constructors in general 68% 27% 5% 41
Constructors shouldn't call overridables 58% 27% 16% 116
Constructors shouldn't start threads 81% 6% 12% 16
Copy constructors 65% 23% 12% 840
Don't pass 'this' out of a constructor 65% 24% 12% 17
Initializing fields to 0-false-null is redundant 68% 25% 7% 232
SerializationYesNoUndecidedVotes
Implementing Serializable 65% 18% 18% 817
Serialization and subclassing 52% 31% 16% 80
Some classes need readResolve 79% 11% 11% 57
ThreadsYesNoUndecidedVotes
Always shut down an ExecutorService 74% 13% 13% 201
Avoid ThreadGroup 55% 25% 20% 150
Data integrity first 73% 10% 17% 89
Document thread safety 74% 16% 11% 38
Dump thread information 80% 20% 0% 15
Handle InterruptedException 42% 33% 25% 12
Launch thread is just another user thread 84% 6% 10% 31
Objects communicating across threads 72% 16% 12% 116
Perform N tasks in parallel 67% 14% 19% 106
Prefer modern libraries for concurrency 100% 0% 0% 11
Query host for the number of processors 91% 5% 5% 22
Read-write locks 84% 9% 7% 57
Remember the types of intrinsic lock 80% 10% 9% 240
Schedule periodic tasks 68% 19% 12% 1660
Stop threads through cooperation 63% 29% 8% 147
Synchronize access to mutable fields 54% 30% 15% 164
Synchronized is implementation detail 57% 27% 16% 77
Thread priorities are not portable 69% 17% 14% 35
Use finally to unlock 88% 12% 0% 16
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