Append-Only Programming: A Fun Experiment

The author experimented with a new software development methodology called "append-only programming": all code resides in a single C file, new code is appended to the end, and editing existing code is forbidden. This forces programmers to define interfaces upfront, write small functions, and produces highly readable code. However, this approach is error-prone; if a function is erroneous, a corrected version must be appended, and all callers must be corrected, potentially requiring rewriting the entire program. The author experimented with a Lisp interpreter and found it tedious. Ultimately, the author concludes it's a fun challenge but not a practical software development method, suggesting improvements such as using header files or one file per function.