Tips on reading and debugging other programmers' code

Re:Tips on reading and debugging other programmers' code by jeffrallen on Sunday February 16, 2020 @10:23AM (#22341926)

Also, have the humility and the generosity to assume complex code is that way for some reason. The people who came before you are not likely to be such bigger idiots than you. If something looks wacko, slow down and ask yourself how it got to be that way.

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Re:Tips on reading and debugging other programmers' code by dottedmag on Sunday February 16, 2020 @01:14PM (#22342889)

1. Get to know old developers 2. Then decide whether to have humility or not on a case-by-case basis.

There are idiots out there.

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Re:Tips on reading and debugging other programmers' code by betenoire on Sunday February 16, 2020 @02:20PM (#22343266)

When do you think humility isn't warranted?

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Re:Tips on reading and debugging other programmers' code by mqnfred on Sunday February 16, 2020 @02:29PM (#22343309)

This is a rule of thumb. You should always check your assumptions about code being correct or not. However, if somebody and their code have proven themselves unreliable, it is a useful optimization to first consider they are wrong, instead of first considering they are right (humility.)

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Re:Tips on reading and debugging other programmers' code by dragonwriter on Sunday February 16, 2020 @02:41PM (#22343362)

Whenever reviewing things to identify potential issues. If you assume (even justifiably) competence, you'll miss the real issues that exist.

OTOH, when proposing to make changes of your own, humility is definitely called for.

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