This formatting style for annotated sources always seems to work so well: http://robflaherty.github.io/jquery-annotated-source/docs/01...

Indeed, that side-by-side annotated style is great. For those who would like to create similar pages, the original program is Docco[0], a Javascript project. However it's been ported over to many other languages and can be found in these projects:

- Pycco[1] Python

- Rocco[2] Ruby

- Shocco[3] POSIX Shell

- Many more, as found here[4]

Note each of these projects support highlighting different languages. For example, the Pycco[1] project uses the Pygments library for language handling, and thus supports many different languages. Others, like Shocco[3] only support one language (Shell in the case of Shocco).

[0] - http://jashkenas.github.io/docco/

[1] - https://github.com/fitzgen/pycco

[2] - http://rtomayko.github.io/rocco/rocco.html

[3] - http://rtomayko.github.io/shocco/

[4] - http://jashkenas.github.io/docco/#partners-in-crime-

I agree, Docco-style docs are really easy to read.

I built srcco, a Docco-style doc generator that links every variable, function, etc. within your project to its definition (similar to sourcegraph.com -- full disclosure: I work at Sourcegraph), to demonstrate how to build things on top of our free/open source language analysis framework, srclib[0].

You might find it interesting (the links in the code have white backgrounds): http://sourcegraph.github.io/srcco/srcco.go.html

It only works for Go because the only Go toolchain keeps track of comment ranges (because srcco removes the comments from the source code), but it wouldn't be too hard to add comment ranges to the other toolchains. If you are interested in language analysis for languages like Java, Python, Haskell, or Javascript, I would be happy to help you make your first contribution. Ping me: [email protected].

[0] - https://srclib.org/

Here's also a Docco 'implementation' for Java code: https://bitbucket.org/doklovic_atlassian/atlassian-docco

Absolutely agreed - I just had to click 40 times to read 40 comments when I had half a screen's worth of whitespace they could've just been sitting in...

Strangely, the "default" Genius UI seems to be more or less the two column view - e.g., http://genius.com/1258740/Walt-whitman-song-of-myself/I-cele...

Is this intentionally divergent or is it some kind of bug?

Still just as bad tbh, you still need to click through every annotation.

I built https://notedcode.com a while ago. It sets comments in any repo on GitHub or Bitbucket alongside the original source, and allows you to add and share further annotations, keeping them alongside the right section of code even when the code changes.

I think this wouldn't work for anecdotal comments that John is doing here which runs into paragraphs which would result in lot of whitespace on the right. I think an easier fix would be to highlight the current annotation in a different color while docking the comments to the right while keeping it free for user to move around.

I agree that clicking to go to next is annoying. Perhaps mouse over or scrolling should automatically show the annotation.

Seconded, if you are going to annotate source code please go for this format.

What is the tool that produces this?

The Docco ( http://jashkenas.github.io/docco/ ) family of tools.

Came here to say this. I cannot fathom how this is considered usable at all. There are also times that you click on the block of code to read, and it sends you back to the top of the page.

I'm more interested now in how this application got pushed to production in its current state.

Sorry about this bug! We're working on a fix now.

Definitely one of the biggest challenges in building this product is getting the annotation interface to work consistently in a “host page” environment over which we have pretty much no control or advanced knowledge. So for instance, the jump-you-to-the-top bug isn't something we've seen in the general case; we're currently getting to the bottom of why it's happening on this particular page.

I noticed it happened on the last annotation that was at the edge of the screen. It looks like you position the annotation box at this height. That might have something to do with it.

Also, after a long piece of annotated text its annoying that the box pops up at the very bottom of the text rather than side by side.

I just want the comments in a fixed window that is draggable so i can put it where i want. I think that would make everyone happy...or at least be better.

Great content tho, enjoying the read.

I am facing the same problem. I am going back to top of the page when I click on the long block of code.

This looks like an ad for Genius, though, so that'd be why.

If it's supposed to be an ad for Genius, it's a pretty lousy one, in my opinion. Half of the time I click on a highlighted line, it opens the annotation and then scrolls away, so I can't see it. It's pretty frustrating. And the "view on Genius" link redirects to the top-level Genius.com page, which just makes me sigh and close the window.

Doesn't matter. People will be like "Oh! John Resig uses Genius! Looks like that's actually real software for the cools guys, not some stuff nobody uses."

Usability is optional for that.

naah..its only for sometime. Agreed that people surely gonna have a look on it since JOHN RESIG uses it but usability only helps you to keep on using it.

genius is based in New York I think, and so is John Resig (at least at lot of the time, he attends JS meetups in New York). He's probably doing them a favor, although the founders of genius are rather obnoxious and John's just the opposite, so it's not whom I'd expect him to help out. Maybe he's going for funding from Horowitz, who also funds genius

I like it. It almost makes me wish I could comment my code like this somehow.

I often find that long comments can break my flow when reading code -- but of course, commenting is necessary, so perhaps it could be useful to pull them aside in an IDE. Does something like that exist?

Isn't this sort of the original intent and purpose of Literate programming. I just spent a bunch of my time creating my emacs configuartion in org-mode using babel [0] and man, it was a cool experience. You can comment out the wazoo, linking to the web, other files or other parts of the same file all organized in a custom hierarchy or whatever you choose.

Then just C-c C-v t and all the source code is in a clean seperate file. You can even set it up to include the comments, link to the comments, or whatever other way you want the output to be. If I ever pursue programming more seriously, I can't image not seriously trying to do it in this manner.

0. http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/

I wrote a markdown based version of literate-programming that allows one to write it with lots of comments and organize the code in anyway you wish. But then when compiled, you can see all the code without all the long comments. You can still have normal programming comments in there, of course, but the detailed thinking (the why and an overview of relations to other parts) can be taken away.

https://github.com/jostylr/literate-programming-lib

There is something that I have been working on:

https://vimeo.com/97711978#t=0m37s

There's likely some way to have Vim automatically fold and hide comments. Then, they're one line when not needed, and a `zo` away when you want to read them.

The main difference between Genius-style annotation and code comments, which I think is important to note (and valuable) is that code comments annotate a point or position in the source, while genius annotations are referring to a span or range in the source.

> The main difference between Genius-style annotation and code comments, which I think is important to note (and valuable) is that code comments annotate a point or position in the source, while genius annotations are referring to a span or range in the source.

I don't think that's necessarily true; code comments very often refer to a range in the source. Because code is generally designed to be accessed as linear text without hyperlinking facilities, the identification of the range is usually something that the reader has to interpret by applying (sometimes language specific) conventions relating to code formatting, indentation, and the precise placement of comments, and there are a limited set of kinds of spans that conventions cover (e.g., a span that starts in one block but extends to include the following part of the containing block doesn't have a good layout convention to indicate that a comment goes with it.)

Genius-style annotations, because they aren't limited to conventions that work in a strict linear text medium, can easily refer to arbitrary spans of content.

Well, I think the idea is sound. I'm even into Hip-Hop/Rap, so I should like them.

Unfortunately the user interface is a world of pain. It's unusable. It's worse than quora. Good idea, but the execution needs work.

Agreed. Just separating concept from implementation.

IMO this is cool, but it would be even better if it was in the right margin, so it wouldn't overlap with and hide the code.

I like the cleanliness of how it is now and I like the preservation of the original file, BUT the annotations seem to pop up wherever they want to without rhyme or reason. Why not just have them pop up on the right side of my screen? Or have a dedicated annotation block that scrolls with me, but well away from the content itself?

Why they did it this way and not like their other branches makes no sense.

See: http://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-king-kunta-lyrics

It would be nice if you could simply drag the modal once it's rendered. I think that would be the most simple solution.

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm sure there's some kind of cross-browser, front-end javascript library that you could use to achieve this :)