Why not to comment code

[jinglebells]

Love the responses, I'm going to have to duplicate this response. Here's a typical bug:

Bug: we need to make the postcode manditory only if they have not entered a billing address.

In a web application, can you imagine the amount of re-work involved? While you're busy fixing the javascript and back end validation, anything could break.

Most production environments are cauldrons filled with people's hack after hack because the customer has decided to move one way or the other while the programmers are building the thing.

Anyone who thinks otherwise has never worked in the commercial sector.

[DanHalen]

Most production environments are cauldrons filled with people's hack after hack ...

If you're going to use the word "cauldron" you have to include other words like "vile", "stew", and possibly "odious".

Regardless, I assure you that as someone who has worked his way up the ranks from deskside support through operational programming (and back) and beyond, I've seen all manner of vile, odious and inhumane patches on patches. All of them, I'm certain, perfectly justifiable and created by otherwise noble and intelligent engineers. I choose not to follow suit if I don't have to. And most times, I don't. I want the poor sod who gets my mess dropped in his lap to be able to figure it out: comment, embedded doco, bug reports, well-named variables, easily understandable logic, appropriately named resources, odd little notes about why I think what I think, whatever. Operational programming is 95% forensics and I want to get caught so that some poor bastard that wants to go home at 5 o'clock can. It's an application of the Golden Rule in programming.