Re: software with surprising depths of superficiality

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From: Piers Cawley
Subject: Re: software with surprising depths of superficiality
Date: 13:32 on 28 Aug 2003
Simon Wistow <simon@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx> writes:
> 3. I'm not allowed to refactor. 
> Apparently the main reason I'm not allowed to is that then it won't be
> 'trust worthy'. I've mentioned Unit tests but these have been roundly
> ignored. Also, the code has been internationalised from the original
> which is also being developed (don't ask why there are mutliple
> branches). So I can't refactor unless I want my life to be a manual
> patch applying hell. Hell, I can't even use Perl Tidy (I tried -
> waaaaaay too many spurious deltas)

Have you been in touch with the other team? Directly, with the
developers. Maybe they feel just as bad about it as you do, but
daren't touch anything because there are other developers like
you. Maybe they're not, but you can't know unless you communicate. 

At best you'll all be able to present a united front to management
when you say it needs refactoring. At worst, you'll know they're a
bunch of hacks and you can start pushing (hard) to be reassigned or
ship out.

-- 
Piers

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