Comments on: Clean Code http://ntschutta.com/jat/2005/11/21/clean-code/ Just A Thought...on Ajax, usability, software development and anything else that catches my fancy. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:08:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Nate http://ntschutta.com/jat/2005/11/21/clean-code/#comment-44 Nate Tue, 29 Nov 2005 03:07:57 +0000 http://ntschutta.com/jat/2005/11/21/clean-code/#comment-44 I think you are talking about the prototypicall TODO comment. To me, it's one thing to leave yourself some reminders but to comment out code that truly isn't functioning anymore is just setting yourself up for pain. That said, I have to consider the YAGNI principle (http://xp.c2.com/YouArentGonnaNeedIt.html) - when you write a comment like that you might *think* you will need to turn this on, but how often have you actually done it? You hit it right on the head when you said "Now I have no idea what this code is referring to any more." Exactly. You did when you wrote it...but that was two months (OK two days) ago. Frankly, I think clean code that is easily modified will provide greater benefit than you *might* get from a bread-crumb like that. I think you are talking about the prototypicall TODO comment. To me, it’s one thing to leave yourself some reminders but to comment out code that truly isn’t functioning anymore is just setting yourself up for pain. That said, I have to consider the YAGNI principle (http://xp.c2.com/YouArentGonnaNeedIt.html) - when you write a comment like that you might *think* you will need to turn this on, but how often have you actually done it? You hit it right on the head when you said “Now I have no idea what this code is referring to any more.” Exactly. You did when you wrote it…but that was two months (OK two days) ago. Frankly, I think clean code that is easily modified will provide greater benefit than you *might* get from a bread-crumb like that.

]]> By: Joe http://ntschutta.com/jat/2005/11/21/clean-code/#comment-42 Joe Mon, 28 Nov 2005 00:18:26 +0000 http://ntschutta.com/jat/2005/11/21/clean-code/#comment-42 I agree with you about dead code. If its not being used, you are just cluttering the program and making things more difficult. However, I have stumbled upon this several times in code that always makes me pause when i want to delete it. It almost always looks like this: //Here's something that we should turn on later when xyz happens... //DoSomethingImportant(); Now I have no idea what this code is referring to any more. In my mind if this code should be functioning why isn't it uncommented? However, how do I bring myself to delete something that obviously was meant to serve a purpose? No one is ever going to go back into source code control to retrieve something that they don't even know exists. What do you think about this? I agree with you about dead code. If its not being used, you are just cluttering the program and making things more difficult. However, I have stumbled upon this several times in code that always makes me pause when i want to delete it. It almost always looks like this:

//Here’s something that we should turn on later when xyz happens…
//DoSomethingImportant();

Now I have no idea what this code is referring to any more. In my mind if this code should be functioning why isn’t it uncommented? However, how do I bring myself to delete something that obviously was meant to serve a purpose? No one is ever going to go back into source code control to retrieve something that they don’t even know exists. What do you think about this?

]]>