commenting code (was Re: [thelist] Tip)

[Joe Crawford]

Scott Dexter wrote:
> I been busted.
> 
> surly, I guess.
> 
> I was cutsie with comments and the like at one time. Then I got tired of the
> extra typing....
> 
> sgd
> --
> work: http://www.ti3.com/
> non: http://thinksafely.org/

Takes a big man to admit when he's gone over the top. Good show sgd!

And my comment on comments is this - comments can be fun, and are
essential in a team environment where many hands touch the code. Kill
comments at your own risk.

Also, commenting using only server parsed comments could wreak havoc if
you work with outside design agencies who are working on files which are
not server parsed *where they are*.

<!-- fun fact: evolt wastes header bandwidth with every list email! -->
X-evolt: sgd uses frontpage
<!--  ;-) -->

Comments, yes, take resources and bandwidth (as do code, server
processing, images, multimedia, and many other important things.
Comments can be overused.
Comments can be fun.
Comments are a great communications tool in a workgroup (or even
messages from back in time to yourself!) to understand complex stuff.
Comment overhead is not often the source of slowness in web
applications.

I bet owe a tip for adding to this thread...

<tip type="book review">
'Don't Make Me Think' is a great book. It's a thankfully slim volume
with very practical advice on thinking about and TESTING the sites and
web applications you build. Too often usability gets derided because of
the reputation of the lightning rod for usability, Jakob Nielsen. Steve
Krug's book stays away from being overbroad - and encourages user
testing to find out whether YOUR site is working on YOUR audience. The
guide on testing with a high budget, medium budget, low budget , and
no-budget testing is quite good.

Highly recommended.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789723107/

(not sure of international availability - check with your book dealer of
choice: online or offline).
</tip>
--
Joe Crawford ||||||||||||||       mailto:jcrawford at avencom.com
||||||||||||||||||||||||             http://www.avencom.com
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||      Avencom: Set Your Sites Higher