Self-documenting code is a myth. Code only communicates action, not intent. Nor does it communicate assumptions about input constraints.
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@paulg As a non-LISP native, I bet a simple code comment on that would get me to comprehension much faster. =)
@mojombo You raise an interesting point, which is that code, like writing, has an intended audience.
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@paulg Yes! But there is also a temporal component. What is obvious to the coder NOW may be very much non-obvious to a reader years later. -
@mojombo@paulg My favorite reason to write documentation: http://docs.writethedocs.org/writing/beginners-guide-to-docs/#you-will-be-using-your-code-in-6-months … - Show replies
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@paulg@mojombo McCarthy thought invert-matrix was better described by "inverts a matrix" than by its code, no? http://www.paulgraham.com/ilc03.htmlThanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@paulg@mojombo I was thinking the same yesterday after someone refactored a snippet from a blog post of mine. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10329838 …Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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