4 ms·
Oh, hmm... I must be an asker. I've done a lifetime of code review over the last decade. Let me tell you, the number times I have asked what I assumed were sim
by donatj 9mo ago
Oh, hmm... I must be an asker.
I've done a lifetime of code review over the last decade. Let me tell you, the number times I have asked what I assumed were simple yes/no questions like "Would it make sense to do X?" or even "Why did we do it this way?" in cases where I'm looking for a discussion and it's been taken as a call to action is just wild.
They're competent developers, I just want to understand the code and the context behind it. I want to understand what their thoughts were while building it. Yet so many times a simple question like "Why X and not Y?" results in the person whose code I am reviewing going ahead and refactoring the entire PR without return comment, or in rare cases getting angry with the question. We actually had a DBA with a history of flying off the handle over simple questions but from what I've heard this is common among DBAs? He eventually got let go over it.
If I wanted you to change it, I would have said so. My question is not wrapped up in insinuation or hidden intent. It's a question I want the answer to. There are no layers to the meaning. I basically never mean anything I do not explicitly say.
I have gotten so frustrated with this that I have started specifying "You can say no", "I'm just trying to understand the thought process", or "I'm just curious, no need to change it". Things I still feel like I shouldn't have to tell another person with an engineering mindset, especially someone with many years of experience.
- jghn 9mo agoThe “why did we do X and not Y?” style of question is a commonly used passive aggressive crutch to tell someone to do Y instead, while attempting to not look mean/harsh. Its the same reason people use “we” in the first place. You may not be using it this way but because many others are that’s how it’ll typically be interpreted
- meatmanek 9mo agoYou call it passive aggressive, I call it "acknowledging that you might know something I don't".
- jghn 9mo agoI agree, and why I hate that this has become a thing. I encountered the same thing as the GP which is from where my experience comes. I'd ask "Why did you choose X over Y" as I'm genuinely curious to know what tradeoffs were considered that led them to choose X. Perhaps there's something I don't know. But I also see it get used all the time to mean "you should have done Y". The "we" stuff is similar. There was a movement several years ago to try to remove blame/harshness from the tone of code reviews, and this is what we got out of it.
- deleted 9mo ago[deleted]
- 121789 9mo agoThis isn’t really a guess vs ask distinction, this is you just not understanding people. Those initial questions you asked are: 1. Often an implicit call to action from the person asking the question. Maybe YOU don’t mean it that way, but people have learned to be cautious 2. A distraction from actual work, and not worth it personally for a public discussion. Maybe the answer is “I don’t know” or “This is the fastest good-enough thing I could build to satisfy a dumb requirement”. But no one wants to say those things publicly, so they are cautious before answering It’s especially aggravating when you get those questions from someone new in authority
- briaoeuidhtns 9mo agoI used to run into this type of problem frequently. I've found that personally adopting something like https://conventionalcomments.org https://conventionalcomments.org really helps with ambiguity.