[GTALUG] Slightly OT: git question

[phiscock at ee.ryerson.ca]

> I admit this is mostly because
> I keep extensive notes in the source code and am perhaps a bit
> embarrassed what those notes say both about my memory and my limited
> coding skills.  I should probably just get over it - particularly
> since the code itself probably says more than the notes.
>
My experience with open source is that it is undercommented, if indeed it
has any comments at all. (Darktable, I'm looking at you.) It's enormously
helpful to understand the writer's thinking process. People can skip over
the comments or even do a selective erase if they don't like them.

Then, if the reader understands your objective and finds your code clunky
in achieving that objective, they can show their superior grasp by
providing an alternative (often more concise and difficult to understand)
solution.

I'm reminded of stories of Gauss, the famous mathematician and scientist
of whom it was said 'he removed all the scaffolding from his
constructions, so it appeared he arrived at the result by magic'. There's
too much of that kind of thinking in software.

Peter

-- 
Peter Hiscocks
Syscomp Electronic Design Limited, Toronto
http://www.syscompdesign.com
USB Oscilloscope and Waveform Generator
647-839-0325