To Comment or Not to Comment
Comments are easier to write poorly than well, and commenting can be more damaging than helpful. The heated discussions over the virtues of commenting often sound like philosophical debates over moral virtues, which makes me think that if Socrates had been a computer programmer, he and his students might have had the following discussion.
The Commento
Characters:
THRASYMACHUS A green, theoretical purist who believes everything he reads
CALLICLES A battle-hardened veteran from the old school—a "real" programmer
GLAUCON A young, confident, hot-shot computer jock
ISMENE A senior programmer tired of big promises, just looking for a few practices that work
SOCRATES The wise old programmer
Setting:
END OF THE TEAM'S DAILY STANDUP ...
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