Microblog Memes @lemmy.world 🃏Joker @sh.itjust.works 1 mo. ago

Code comments

// What is here was a dependency for us.
// This is a warning of a breaking change.// The change is in a particular package
// it is forked
// the fork is here
// and deep in the dependencies.// The fork is still present, in your time, as it was in ours. // The danger is to the velocity, and it is tech debt.// The form of the tech debt is an emanation of shell scripts.// The tech debt is paid only if you substantially
// depend on this workaround.
// This code is best removed and left unused.

19 comments

My professor once asked me about a comment that said "// This is awful and you should feel awful, change this before handing it in. " I had no excuse, I just told him time makes fools of us all.
- I had no excuse, I just told him time makes fools of us all.
  
  For that quip, they should've just christened you a developer and handed over your diploma right there.
  
  Possibly with some yogurt
- Should always slap a TODO on the front. IDEs like Jetbrain will catch those for you, so you can willfully ignore them next time(s).
  
  willfully ignore them next time(s).
  
  That's a mood.
  
  Ideally with a ticket number, so you have some place with all the details and it can be prioritized and scheduled later, or never
- This is the difference between academia and actual experience. Senior engineer wouldn't bat an eye for such comment
  
  That's basically what I was told. It worked, I explained the algorithm I was having trouble with, and that I just ran out of time. He didn't deduct any marks or anything, he just said I should make an effort to make comments less self-deprecating.
There is nothing honorable here. This code is best avoided. We are not proud of what we have done.
I once left a comment that said

// To whomever inherits this project, I'm sorry about the following code. They made me do it.
Over at invisible-island.net:

Part of why xterm's internals are so horrifying is that it was originally intended that a single process be able to drive multiple VS100 displays. Don't hold this against Mark; it isn't his fault.

And startx:

# This is just a sample implementation of a slightly less primitive interface than xinit. # … # Site administrators are STRONGLY urged to write nicer versions.
- Found deep in the Linux networking code years ago: // this code is too ugly to live, but I don’t have time right now
This code is repulsive to us.
- This comment is a warning about dangerous code.
Nuclear Semiotics Warning messages
this is proof that if you read that in 10000 years, you would have no clue what to do.. and will probably dig to be sure

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