9 systematic approaches that will help you UNDERSTAND your Legacy Code
Have a better chance at maintaining the code in the manner it and your users deserve:
- For-the-win! There is no substitute for talking to the person who wrote the code.
- Initiate discussions about outdated code. Prioritise and reward.
- Write tests and prove your UNDERSTANDing of the legacy code.
- Stop digging a deeper hole…. Keep those tests up to date.
- Correct hypothesis before you change the code. By doing this, you prove that you UNDERSTAND the legacy code.
- Design your code as an architecture.
- Document and take notes with annotations, it´s a great help for UNDERSTANDing old code.
- Use automated knowledge to multiply your brain power
- Try to say no (in the right way)