Also, just normal efficiency and error handling tend to obscure the basic idea of code. Keeping a commented-out copy of the original can document the basic idea

Also, just normal efficiency and error handling tend to obscure the basic idea of code. Keeping a commented-out copy of the original can document the basic idea. Or, it's epicycles within epicycles until a paradigm shift to a simpler theory. Though most real-world programming goals are not intrinsically simple, but a mish-mash of mess.