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Discussion on: Don’t comment your code

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codemouse92 profile image
Jason C. McDonald • Edited

Mostly good article.

I agree with David, ditch the clickbait title. Your content is worthy of better than that.

Also, handle the book with tongs, hey? It's a mix of good ideas and really bad ideas, packaged so tightly together you have to already be something of an expert to parse between them. Martin is literally the least qualified person to explain Clean Coding in a healthy and constructive manner, and that's considering the fact that he coined the term. I strongly recommend sourcing your insights from someone who doesn't strut like he's the incarnation of Neo.

On the topic of comments, I like to say never send a comment to do a name's job, and never send a name to do a comment's job.

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nadaelokaily profile image
Nada Elokaily

I agree with you, I think it is a general rule of thumb that you shouldn't just take for granted what ever you read in a book no matter how good the book is.
These were the points that I agreed with Robert in this chapter, but no one should blindly follow them all the way.
Take whatever suits your project and makes it easier for your team

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codemouse92 profile image
Jason C. McDonald

The trouble is, you have to know what you're about before you can really "take what suits your project". There are too many young developers who read "Clean Code" on recommendation, see people quoting it like scripture, and then adopt it wholesale as the One True Way...only to walk headlong into the traps of bad practice that are intermingled with the good ideas.

One should always apply common sense, yes, but if a book is such a mixed bag that you have to heavily sift advice as a beginner to avoid taking up antipatterns...find another book. There ARE books that are generally reliable enough, and whose missteps are insignificant enough that you can rectify them with further learning without any major problems. "Clean Code" is not one of those books.

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ajxn profile image
Anders Jackson

So, you forgot one thing.

Recommend one or two you consider is Good.

But yes, I do agree with you.

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codemouse92 profile image
Jason C. McDonald

Trouble is, I don't have any on hand. I've picked it up from so many places over the years. If I find some specific examples, I'll share.

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rkennela2 profile image
Ryan Kennel 🐶

Least qualified? That is some massive hyperbole. My guess is your opinion is somewhat clouded by your Neo comment (which has some truth to it and made me laugh).

Clean code was thought provoking when it came out and helped a lot of us become better developers.

I would argue that it is now starting to show its age. Languages and IDEs have changed massively since the books release. As such, the usefulness of the book is much less than during its original release.

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codemouse92 profile image
Jason C. McDonald • Edited

Least qualified, as in, he has a dangerously overfed ego. A preened ego disqualifies even the smartest person from teaching others reliably.