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Yes, working with shitty code is part of the job. You can't refactor if you can't read other people's code, no matter how bad it is. It's still code, and it pro
by papito 9y ago
Yes, working with shitty code is part of the job. You can't refactor if you can't read other people's code, no matter how bad it is. It's still code, and it probably does something in production that's needed.
- JoeAltmaier 9y agoSure bad code that works is defensible in a cost analysis. But buggy code in an elaborate, overheated pile is not the same as 'shitty code'. Its doing all the wrong things and going nowhere. Another cost analysis includes 'opportunity cost', the good that you could be doing instead of massaging the dinosaur this product has become. By that measure, work done on this 'product' is money down the drain. I've fixed megabytes of bad code in my day. If it was just a matter of code preferences, then sure I'd agree. But this thing is irresponsibly put together. So much drama to do so little, that 'fixing bugs' in it is really just moving them around.
- maxxxxx 9y agoI agree that there are just plain bad code bases that aren't worth fixing. But my point was that a lot of us (including myself) have a tendency to immediately dismiss what our predecessors did without having made an attempt to understand the situation.
- papito 9y agoLet's just say, assuming that you are a rock star and everyone else can't code is a poor starting point. I have been on the receiving end of this attitude, and it's not pleasant. These people just come across as arrogant, and they look really bad when they screw up right out of the gate. Some humility goes a long way, EVEN IF YOU ARE 100% RIGHT.
- jxramos 9y agoThat's exactly it, professional experience opportunity cost and what you spend time getting good at.