Comment by moron4hire

6 hours ago

"Use /* */ for comments, not //."

I find stuff like this hilarious. No software project has ever failed, or even slow down one iota, because of the comment style. This is just someone's personal "ick" masquerading as "coding standards."

EDIT: I think it has actually been becoming a dad of two boys that has absolutely killed my patience for this kind of thing. A lot of it is so similar to how my children argue with each other over absolutely trivial things. Add in the way they say "I don't like that" as "that's not fair" (my children) or "that's not consistent" (the bike shedding nerds) and it just makes me want to scream, "stop whining!"

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moron4hire

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hnlmorg  5 hours ago

Whilst I do agree with you on that specific example, it’s worth noting that code standards as a whole are a somewhat blurry line that can be extremely subjective at times.

  • moron4hire  5 hours ago

    I actually don't think it's worth noting. I think, if a particular code standard issue is really of value, it will be obvious. You will propose it and nobody will argue. I think the fact that code standards are contentious is proof they are extremely low value. Subtle effects are indistinguishable from superstition.

    • rpdillon  5 hours ago

      I think the particular choice of coding standards is low value, but I think the consistency they bring has a lot of value, at least potentially.

      As a father of two boys myself, I know exactly where you're coming from. Like some adults, they'll argue over pointless details and miss the entire thrust of the discussion.

      4 replies →

    • hnlmorg  5 hours ago

      I think you’re underestimating how opinionated developers are.

      The fact that we are disagreeing on this point is great evidence that there isn’t an easy to define, proverbial line in the sand.

      2 replies →