To comment or not? A data-driven look at attitudes toward code comments

1:30pm - 1:55pm on Friday, October 4 in PennTop North

Veronica Hanus

Watch:

https://youtu.be/48lQubw3Avw

Description

While most of us agree that commenting is part of writing maintainable code, it’s very difficult for someone who has not yet worked in a community- reviewed codebase to know what is good practice and not. The answers that come back often conflict each other: Code should be DRY, but well-placed comments save future devs. How can someone find the commenting style that is best for them as they learn, grow, & contribute? My survey of 170 long-time developers, Computer Science majors, bootcamp grads, & hobby programmers confirms some expectations and brings others into question. Join me for a data-based chat about the biggest pain points caused by our attitudes toward commenting and the steps we can take to encourage a growth mindset and empower programmers of all levels.