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This is probably the primary actual use case for comments. Explain why something is done the way it is; to justify to those who come after why Chesterton's Fenc
by Sharlin 7y ago
This is probably the primary actual use case for comments. Explain why something is done the way it is; to justify to those who come after why Chesterton's Fence [1] should apply in this case.
[1] https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Chesterton%27s_Fence https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Chesterton%27s_Fence
- mpolsz 7y agoThat someone being me not knowing why in hell would I write this monstrosity... git blame + some archeology work to get jira ticket number (I put issue numbers in commit message/branch name) and from that I know why.
- Sharlin 7y agoYes, naturally "those who come after" often includes the future you.
- gilbetron 7y agoMuch of my life as an older dev includes balancing my relationship with my past, current, and future selves. Be kind to your future self; be compassionate of your past self. And don't forget, they really are different people ;)
- dd36 7y agoSame idea should apply to laws. The why gets forgotten a half century later because the problem was solved but not well documented. Because the problem is no longer happening, they think the law must no longer be necessary.
- mr_toad 7y agoAs a counterpoint, we often end up with laws, traditions, and social mores that long outlive whatever rationale they had for them in the first place. (Assuming they had a rationale, and weren’t just based on fear and superstition).
- eru 7y agoYes. In a wider sense, you also want to explain why something is NOT done. Ie why certain other ideas don't work, or why we don't offer certain features.