We are programmers, and we get paid to write code. And we all faced the situation when we get in someone else’s code (could be mine from a few hours ago, I am evolving you know) and see code that hurts my eye.

So when should I fix it?

Here are the 10 commandments:

• if it works and this is an area you don’t need to touch. Don’t touch it.

• if touching it is a long and hard refactor, think long and hard before jumping into it.

• if the change is not covered by tests you already plan on doing. Consider the test workload addition. Automatic tests coverage is great, if you are certain it cover the necesary scenarios.

If you are already in the code, and the added workload is ok, then go and refactor like crazy.

That question keeps nagging me when I want to decide whether to publish the post on not.

On the original passing-thoughts website I had sections.

• seeds - section for raw ideas, single lines and other stuff that was definitely not worth publishing, but perhaps with work might be something more in the future. This was visible only to me.

• passing-thoughts - section for more structured items. Things that I already wanted some outside feedback on them. But only from the small and close to me group that was allowed to view it.

• formed-thoughts - sections open to the public where things I felt were mature enough went up for display.

Now with this new form, I am lacking this second section. I might add it in the future.

For now, I decided to bring even that second category to the public eye. Perhaps someone will like it. I just hope the quality price will not be too high.

I been saying goodbye for a while now. I am referring to goodbye from my work place.

It started when I started to look around for other options. I know there are other options out there, in theory, but to actually see the opportunities created a mind shift.

Why settle for what I have now when I can have more?

Then began a slow process of letting go. Letting go of responsibilities to others that were more eager to take it. Letting go of fights, that I know I was right in them, but were not worth the fight. Letting go about caring for the code under my fingers, since I already know my time there was limited.

This process of letting go fueled by every, less than perfect, incident that working has, only my mind was already spotting the bad over the good. So every argument, every email helped fuel my good bye.

Then came the offers. Over time the offers became better, mostly due to filtering bad offers earlier. The better the offer the more tempting it is and it is harder to say no to them.

And when the right offer came along, it took only one more incident to seal the deal.

Thus started the visible goodbye.

Formal notification, tasks to complete, knowledge to pass on. The informal notification to people I have been working with, taking personal stuff home, returning company stuff back etc… The closure meetings with the managers. A goodbye celebration, with speech that I had no idea what to say in. The formal goodbye checklist, with all its stops.

And still to the last hour, I am a part of the team. I check my mail and think what to respond for the company, for the team. I find how I can pass one more bit of info I neglected to mention earlier.

The one action that made the symbolic cut was: removing the company account from my phone. No more work emails, chat conversations. No more direct links.

And yet I felt the need to write this post.

Goodbye and thank you

Especially for the team. You have been important to me, and I know you will grow.

I am looking forward to meet you all in the future.