Re:Thoughts on being a programmer
by mangler on Tuesday August 14, 2012 @06:04PM
(#4383300)
That's why you "Inherit a codebase", as opposed to "Build a codebase". People who maintain and people who build are... well... they're just different people. We do need them both, but, they are different. Which is why we need them both.
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I also build code rather large new products, too.
People that build with no regard for future maintainers are building code incorrectly.
It makes me happy when I hand off a code base and the receiving maintainer actually tells me that they appreciate how clear and understandable it is. That's a level of care I wish I always inherited.
Maintainers versus builders aren't different people -- that's just what intellectually lazy programmers tell themselves when they're making another mess for someone else to clean up.
I don't think that is necessarily the case outside a corporate environment. I inherited the SQL-Ledger codebase when we forked to LedgerSMB. Now I am using it as scaffolding to build a very nice, clean, powerful codebase in its place.