On Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 6:57 PM, Michael Jakl <[email protected]>wrote:

> Hi!
>
> On Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 23:04, Emmanuel Lecharny<[email protected]>
> wrote:
> >> I have to admit that this kind of quantitive analysis doesn't tell me
> >> much. I'd rather improve the javadoc for a central class than write a
> >> new one for a simple interface setter method where the name and
> >> parameters speak for themselves.
> >>
> >
> [...]
> >
> > I don't like over documented code, for instance (I mean, comments
> *inside*
> > the code). Just because if you needed to add some comments in your code,
> > that means your code is probably too complex to be understood by a normal
> > human being (ie , the 'average programmer' ;), and you may have to split
> the
> > code a bit. The very same applies for naming. Not being english native
> > speakers make it difficult to use the exact correct name for a field or a
> > function.
>
> The documentation I found in Vysper proved very helpful and - of course -
> more
> of it would do good. Anyway I'd second the view that good documentation
> shouldn't repeat what the code says best. The HTML argument is a good one,
> but
> IMHO more relevant in closed source projects, instead of a RTFM we have the
> option for a RTFC(ode).
>
> >>
> >> But if you point out critical code that misses a javadoc, unit test or
> >> spec compliance annotation or code comment, you'll never find me
> >> disagreeing with you. (I reserve the right to ask for a patch, though.
> ;-)
> >>
> >
> > As a general politic, I think that the one who write the code at first is
> > the one who *knows*. Hopefully, modern IDE generates all this boring
> Javadoc
> > for setters and getters. Otherwise, I don't think that adding headers for
> > private method is always mandatory (sometime it helps). It's all about
> how
> > easy it is to understand what a method do. However, what seems easy for
> you
> > might be a bit more complicated for someone just diving into your code.
> >
> > I personally find it polite to add headers and javadoc, it makes the code
> > more welcoming. Like names for the street and number on the doors.
> >>
> >> So my question is, where is that code which most deserves being improved
> >> in this way?
> >>
> >
> > Well, without having done the quality analysis yet, my answer, not a
> > surprise, will be : all the interface and public methods without Javadoc
> ;)
> > Very PC, I know ...
> >
> > But as this is not the answer you are expecting, so give me a couple of
> > week, if I can find the time to dive into the code.
>
> I think Emmanuel touched the essence of the discussion a few paragraphs
> earlier: "the one who wrote the code knows what to document". So not
> surprising
> I'm adding "Javadoc for PubSub-related classes" to my todo list :)
>
> Maybe a quick dependency graph could show us the "hotspots" which are the
> classes many others use/depend on - these are the ones which need good
> documentation, I'd guess.
>

Very good point for identifying the code to document best based on a
80/20-like principal to documentation.  I really like this idea Michael!

Alex

-- 
Alex Karasulu
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