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> they think the old code is a mess. . . . they are probably wrong. The reason that they think the old code is a mess is ... It’s harder to read code than to wr
by twelfthnight 3y ago
> they think the old code is a mess. . . . they are probably wrong. The reason that they think the old code is a mess is ... It’s harder to read code than to write it.
I suppose I think the reason people think code is a mess is because it _is_ a mess. Just yesterday I saw a team decide to override $PATH in 50 separate files because they didn't understand how to package a python library. (I'm not innocent in crazy stuff either, we're all human).
My experience is that rewrites happen when a team doesn't have anything clear to do instead, so it's more like "teams/businesses with no clear objectives" struggle rather than inherently rewrites.
- heleninboodler 3y agoThere's mess and there's "override $PATH in 50 files" mess. "The old code is a mess" is a really easy conclusion to come to when trying to grok a complicated codebase, and it's not always correct.
- twelfthnight 3y agoGenuine question, is your experience that it is often more your lack of understanding than the code actually being a mess? I ask because while I've been guilty of judging too soon myself, it's much more common the code is just bad, written by someone who's already left. (I work in healthcare and startups though, so different industries are probably different. Also, I've probably been the person who wrote that bad code too!)
- heleninboodler 3y agoIt's usually a little of both. Sometimes it's a little messy but before you get full understanding, it appears a lot messier. But having the experience of coming across code that I think sucks until I fully understand it and recognize it as something I wrote two years ago (but maybe someone moved to a new location, so I didn't remember it) makes me a little more humble when it comes to judging code.