Can working with bad code erode your programming skills?
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It depends. It depends on whether you are allowed to correct bad code. If you are not allowed to correct, then it will definitely erode your programming skills. Surround yourself with excellence and you will automatically raise the bar for yourself. It depends on your team and manager. It depends on whether they can recognize good/bad code, and how much they appreciate good code. Man is a social animal. We look for support in each other. If nobody appreciates good code, it can be quite frustrating. It is difficult to plod on without encouragement. It depends on your team members and mentor. It depends on if they are trying to salvage the situation. If they are not, then the lead/mentor/team is not good enough for you to learn from. |
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I've found that working with bad code can actually help improve programming by sharpening the eye for better refactoring. It's being constantly challenged to figure out how to make something better. That can be a good thing. |
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Only if you are easily tempted by group-think/laziness. Of course, working on projects where other people screw up your good code with their bad code can certainly reflect poorly on you. |
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I'd say:
But if you can't, well...I think you can guess the rest. :) Edit: To elaborate. Once you recognize bad code, you'll most likely know why it's so bad, and what it should look like. By fixing it, you'll learn a lot. You'll also get a chance to see a lot of "DON'Ts", and since seeing them is painful, you'll most likely remember them too. Not recognizing bad code, especially your own bad code, is a sign you're stagnating. And that's the worst thing I can imagine happening to me as a programmer. |
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I dont really think so. I've worked with a fair amout of bad PHP code, at worst I think it promotes just hacking the bad code even worse. If I see a block of nasty code I just try to do what I need to do in the quickest way possible and get out. Would I do this to good code or do this in my own programs? No. It's not going to erode your programming skills so long as you recognize that it is bad code and don't follow suit. |
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It should strengthen your programming ability if you refactor it, thereby practicing good coding. |
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Depends. I learnt to program from some very bad examples; It made me want to fix them, with less code. I realised it was easier and quicker to re-write -- if I could do it in less code, less bugs and easier to read. |
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