Why Are There No Comments In This Dungeon?
Some code is self-documenting. Some code is a haunted hallway with seven doors,
no lights, and a variable named flag.
Emily entered the legacy code dungeon seeking one simple fix. What she found was a table, a permission system, several implicit assumptions, and the faint sound of a previous developer whispering, “It was obvious at the time.”
The official Emily.You stance on comments is moderate and fair:
- Comments should not narrate obvious code.
- Comments should explain cursed business rules.
- Comments should appear when the table is old enough to vote.
- Comments should definitely exist near anything that makes a new developer say, “Wait, why?”
In conclusion, not every line needs a comment. But every dungeon needs a map.