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Ask HN: Do programmers still print code to review?

• throwthat1 3y ago
  Hope not
• tjr 3y ago
  One reason that I used to print out code for review was so that I could take a bunch of code somewhere else away from my desk, such as to a coffee shop or to a more comfortable chair. With lightweight, high-resolution laptops and tablets, this is much less of an issue than it used to be. Though sometimes I do prefer to read offline altogether, but it's probably been something like 5+ years since I last printed out code to review away from my desk. Was it more useful for spotting bugs? Maybe some kinds of bugs. If all you have to look at is the printout in front of you, you might be inclined to read and think about it more deeply than you might have otherwise, with the full capabilities of your computer at the ready. On the computer, I might more easily focus on, Does it compile? Does it run? Does the output look right on the screen? But when all you have is the code, my thoughts might tend more toward, Does this theoretically make sense?
  • eternityforest 3y ago
    I like to step through stuff on the debugger when I'm testing stuff, even if it appears to work, so that I can see if every intermediate step looks as I might expect, and if I notice anything new with the enforced line by line checking.
• yuppie_scum 3y ago
  Why would you do that when you can send a Git link which can be commented, tracked, given proposed edits, etc..
  • bluGill 3y ago
    Because a dozen sheets of paper that you can rearrange is a lot more code than even 8k monitors can fit.
    • thfuran 3y ago
      But you can't read a dozen sheets of paper at the same time anyways.
      • bluGill 3y ago
        You put them on the floor and arrange them as needed. Functions call lots of others, you can put a finger on one place and find the others. Instead of objecting, try it.
• mtmail 3y ago
  Green and white paper was a long time ago. As soon as I had a laptop and mobile internet connection I stopped printing code. I remember printing with syntax highlighting was hard (company had only black&white laser printers).
• jamesfinlayson 3y ago
  I remember seeing this in a video once but never in real life. As others have alluded to, doing it on a computer has its benefits - you can check the documentation for a given function call for example (and see that all different possible error codes are handled or whatever).
• JoeMayoBot 3y ago
  I recall this being necessary on older main frame systems where monitors either didn't exist, there was limited time on a shared console, or you didn't have access at all. However, once we had networks and workstations/PCs there was a decreasing need for paper. I believe that elimination of paper was a long-time goal and good for the environment. As far as code review goes, we have IDE's with incredible navigation, linters, debuggers, unit tests, and amazing environments to submit PRs with diffs and collaboration tools. Also, since we have automated tools that produce a huge amount of automated/generated code in some environments, the thought of printing all of that out feels like a long laborious task.