> then why am I using the code at all

You're using it because it comes with the job that's paying you and you want to see what it does and form an opinion on its quality. Much crap code is procured and produced by companies.

“…clarity is often achieved through brevity” — Kernighan and Pike, _The Practice of Programming_. It's an excellent book, I recommend every programmer should have read it. http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/020161586X/mqq-20 http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/tpop/