The author argues against the notion that developers must fully understand large-scale codebases, defending the practical approach of focusing on local areas within massive systems. This perspective challenges Peter Naur's 'Programming as Theory Building' philosophy, suggesting that partial understanding is often the most realistic and effective strategy for high-turnover, complex environments.
Background
The article discusses the cultural and methodological divide between maintaining small, stable codebases versus large, evolving ones. It references Peter Naur's influential paper to highlight differing philosophies on how developers should relate to the code they write and maintain.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- Jul 12, 2026 at 10:37 AM
- Score
- 5.0 / 10