Beefy Boxes and Bandwidth Generously Provided by pair Networks
Perl Monk, Perl Meditation
 
PerlMonks  

comment on

( [id://3333]=superdoc: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??

If (module/unit) documentation only ever consisted of interface specifications, then (perhaps), POD would be fine. But, all too frequently, it also has to contain a mountain of stuff that is essentially unrelated to the code.

Whether it's algorithm explainations, or market research, or comparative studies or whatever else might be useful or required by the users of a module. But often this stuff is of no consequence to the programmer maintaining the module.

To conflate user documentation with programmer documentation is a bad idea. Even if the modules users are also programmers at the next level up, mixing the two types of documentation together means that it serves neither group well.

There's also the problem that purely textual changes, from typos to reattributions to rephrasing of prose can trigger RCS trails associated with the code that shouldn't be. Documentation also belongs in the RCS system, but as independant entities to the code, so that documentation changes do not affect the revision history of the code and vice versa.


Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

In reply to Re^2: Programming *is* much more than "just writing code". by BrowserUk
in thread Programming *is* much more than "just writing code". by BrowserUk

Title:
Use:  <p> text here (a paragraph) </p>
and:  <code> code here </code>
to format your post; it's "PerlMonks-approved HTML":



  • Are you posting in the right place? Check out Where do I post X? to know for sure.
  • Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags. Currently these include the following:
    <code> <a> <b> <big> <blockquote> <br /> <dd> <dl> <dt> <em> <font> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <hr /> <i> <li> <nbsp> <ol> <p> <small> <strike> <strong> <sub> <sup> <table> <td> <th> <tr> <tt> <u> <ul>
  • Snippets of code should be wrapped in <code> tags not <pre> tags. In fact, <pre> tags should generally be avoided. If they must be used, extreme care should be taken to ensure that their contents do not have long lines (<70 chars), in order to prevent horizontal scrolling (and possible janitor intervention).
  • Want more info? How to link or How to display code and escape characters are good places to start.
Log In?
Username:
Password:

What's my password?
Create A New User
Domain Nodelet?
Chatterbox?
and the web crawler heard nothing...

How do I use this?Last hourOther CB clients
Other Users?
Others rifling through the Monastery: (4)
As of 2024-04-25 12:19 GMT
Sections?
Information?
Find Nodes?
Leftovers?
    Voting Booth?

    No recent polls found