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"This isn't just a problem in open source. It is a huge problem in corporate internal software too." Is this partly due to business practices and emphasis on a
by jrs235 9y ago
"This isn't just a problem in open source. It is a huge problem in corporate internal software too."
Is this partly due to business practices and emphasis on agility? Where everyone is afraid of investing time documenting systems that are possibly (even though often times unlikely) to change in the near future and a fear of sinking resources into increasing efforts (original documenting effort + modifying documentation effort in future if changes occur)?
On top of the initial investment in documenting up front, all too often when future changes come about the documentation is neglected (often due to pressure form the business, or forgetfulness) in the estimated amount of work to achieve a task. Incorrect documentation is often more costly than no documentation.
- kochthesecond 9y agoI am a big advocate of not spending time writing documentation. Instead spend the time on automating or improving what you were documenting, or work on making the code clearer and concise for the next person that reads it. incorrect documentation is worse than no documentation. Exception to this are shared libraries. They must be well documented with clear intent and easily accessible.