No one throws away old code.
This is true for both developers and admins alike.
Even if it is bad code.
Even if it is janky code.
Especially if it is janky...
Because hidden in that code is a genius insight that is still valid even if the code is crap. And genius is hard to come by.
Now when someone quits, they generally leave a copy of this code behind. If the parting was on good terms, it might be labelled. Otherwise, you are on your own. Grep and Windows Search are your friends...
Now, here is the secret: the harder the code is to find, the harder it is to make sense of, the more useful the code is. No one actually follows format and comment guidelines in their personal "only use this in case of emergency" code. That would be like detailing the steps of recovering a suspect database without doing a restore. (And, no, I will not tell you.)
So if anyone has an old PC of mine, the good stuff is in a directory called "misc". You're welcome.
This is true for both developers and admins alike.
Even if it is bad code.
Even if it is janky code.
Especially if it is janky...
Because hidden in that code is a genius insight that is still valid even if the code is crap. And genius is hard to come by.
Now when someone quits, they generally leave a copy of this code behind. If the parting was on good terms, it might be labelled. Otherwise, you are on your own. Grep and Windows Search are your friends...
Now, here is the secret: the harder the code is to find, the harder it is to make sense of, the more useful the code is. No one actually follows format and comment guidelines in their personal "only use this in case of emergency" code. That would be like detailing the steps of recovering a suspect database without doing a restore. (And, no, I will not tell you.)
So if anyone has an old PC of mine, the good stuff is in a directory called "misc". You're welcome.
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