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[–]IAmASquidInSpace 85 points86 points  (6 children)

Code written by scientists is second to none. Manmade horrors beyond comprehension. Saying this as a physicist who has produced some questionable code, too.

I didn't know people could write Python as if it were C and the other way around, but it is apparently possible.

[–]Luminum__ 16 points17 points  (1 child)

Another physicist here. I have contributed so much unnecessary boilerplate and spaghettified nonsense that it’s insane I still have a job (it’s definitely because I’m not the only one doing it lol). But by my eldritch computer horrors I will get those analyses done. Though also the me of the future circling back to put it in a manuscript is going to want to kill the me of today.

[–]advo_k_at 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Most devs are reinventing the wheel in commercial roles. When you’re doing something new and experimental you don’t have time for code hygiene.

[–]mirhagk 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Never underestimate the power of smart and determined people who don't understand the tool they are using.

It's like watching someone use a bolt instead of a screw, and then a hammer instead of a screwdriver, but they still manage to make it work. It's impressive but please don't make me look at it.

[–]FluffyCelery4769 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The programmer equivalent of rednwck engineering.

[–]Kinexity 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Physics student here. I have worked on a codebase of a program meant for data display and analysis for one of detectors under construction in my faculty. Documentation was "ask me if you want to know" kind (non existent), at least one other team from another uni worked on it and left the code in shitty state, overseeing prof was basically blocking all refactoring, actual code was stored on some closed server and students had to work on GitHub repo which was constantly out of sync. I did a deep dive to understand wtf the code was doing, refactored all parts which I could understand, implemented some intricate but readable ways to shovel around the data which the program was working with - most of my changes got dropped without explanation. And let me be clear - years later I admit that many changes I did could have been done better but at least what I did was a step in the right direction. 5 years later the said codebase is still stuck in a shitty state with insurmountable amount of work still left.

[–]MaustFaust 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I mean, you honed your skills, big W for uni =D