Beyond "Clean Code": Why Your Comments Matter
SMRTR summary
One influential voice in programming, Robert C. Martin, argues in his book "Clean Code" that "comments are always failures," suggesting that well-written code should never need explanation.
But that argument goes too far. Code can only tell you what a computer was instructed to do. It cannot reliably convey why a developer made a particular choice, or what real-world rules govern the logic beneath the surface.
Think about it: should a function really be named "ScoreAGameOfBowlingAccordingToTheUnitedStatesBowlingCongressRules"? That's not clarity. That's contortion.
The counterargument is compelling: when a comment disagrees with the code, that tension is actually useful. It raises a red flag. Without comments, broken logic can quietly do the wrong thing, and nobody notices.
Good code and good comments, the argument goes, are not enemies. They're partners.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Hacker News.
Read the original article