At 2018-12-01T09:27:03-0500, Doug McIlroy wrote: > Software that inherently defies concise description is suspect on > its face.
Ingo made a similar point not long ago when he and I were arguing past each other. I agree with this--such a property is definitely grounds for suspicion, _but_... > In all likelihood it was built by accumulation way beyond the bounds > of any organizing principles that the author(s) may have had at the > outset. When this is the case it is of little help to those tasked with the maintenance of technical documentation. If we are not prepared to undertake a revolutionary act, like discarding a tool altogether, or removing the -u flag from cat[1], then our responsibility is to document the software system as it exists, warts and all. Regards, Branden [1] I note with some amusement that GNU coreutils documents cat's -u flag as "ignored", thus reinforcing the FSF's reputation as woolly-faced, bomb-tossing radicals. :P
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