benJun 29, 2023
Do any of the developers out there have thoughts on how to avoid saying bad things about old developers due to annoyances in the old code? I always try to remember that you never know the circumstances that the old code was written under, but I am hoping for some more kind approaches :-). #php #WebDev
Show threadVolker Dusch (Edorian)Jun 29, 2023

@ben "Let's take a moment to understand why this approach was the best one at the time of writing.

...

Given the constraints and the resources available.

...

Given the skillset of the people that had to make it work.

...

Given the state of the industry.

...

Ok this one might just have been a mistake"

Show threadVolker Dusch (Edorian)Jun 29, 2023

@ben that's at least my approach when teaching people to work with legacy code.

Nobody wants to do bad work and nobody is the villain in their own story. So let's see if we can understand constraints and motivations and go from there.

Show threadbenJun 29, 2023
@edorian Thank you Edorian! That is very similar to my approach most of the time. Unfortunately, we often get stuck on that last one :-) But still, everyone makes mistakes and I prefer to forgive and forget, especially when it comes to code 😄
Show threadVolker Dusch (Edorian)

@ben From non senior devs I saw a lot of those complaints coming from a "it's not my fault" place.

Especially Germans where complaining about something is how we say hello.

And people want to proactively communicate that maybe there will be issues, but pick an approach that isn't very healthy.

"Legacy code means your business was successful. The reason you have a salary now is because someone got the project to this point. These are their stories and trade-offs".

Jun 29, 2023 at 3:02pmWeb
Show threadbenJun 29, 2023
@edorian I love that quote, thank you!