Hi.
I am a C++ programmer with experience with MFC and Winsock. I am working on project that utilize MFC, Winsock, and more advanced C++ like that found in Modern C++ Design. I have a question about writing commends.
I hate writing comments! Before you go off and post about responses, please consider my reasons. I understand the importance of comments from in terms of team project. In a team project where hundred and even thousands of programmers study and modify each other's code, comments are imperative. Comments are essential even in individual projects. Experienced programmers understand that we will one day read code we worked on six months ago. The bottomline is that comments are imperative to software implementation especially with C++ where some section of a code can be abstract and different to decipher.
Nonetheless, comments are tedious! For example, let say you spend an hour on an algorithm. Now, you have to spend another ten, twenty, even thirty minutes commenting the class or a collection of classes. In the end, you have less time solving other problems.
I want to know how do you programmers deal with commends in real-world team projects. Real-world projects vary from a simple simulation for NASA to an operating system. I know I am developing a bad habit that will hurt me in the end, but sometimes I get so caught up in solving problems that I ignore the comments. I remember all my code. Somethings I take a few minutes to see what goes on, but I always recommend it. Again, I understand the reason is because I am the person who wrote it.
Lastly, is there an art to writing good comments? How do you know where, when, and what to write such that the comment is elegant and takes up little time and effort because it becomes natural?
Thanks,
Kuphryn
