Similarly, when I was still working, every once in a while I'd leave a comment like: //Seems like there should be a better way to do this, but I couldn't think of it. //< explanation of what the code is trying to do >

Stop him when he gets to the inaccurate part.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.

I'd get that way when I was still working. I think it's a good sign--it means you really care about your software and craft--as long as it doesn't become an obsession.

Good for you, finding a good manager is difficult. My experience is that a good manager actually manages. IOW, not "we've got this problem, throw a developer at it, regardless of skills necessary," but actually understands what skills are necessary and gets people with those skills on the project. Also, doesn't run around with hair on fire, acting as if every problem is priority one. If they all are, none are. Understanding priortization is a big component.

Stop hoarding. Quit cluttering your life just because "somebody might want it someday." Applies to more than just software. Don't leave a houseful of junk to sift through, like my mother's generation did to us.

Similar to how you know if a lawyer is telling a lie...

It's almost undoubtedly true that this code needs to be updated from an architectural standpoint as well. No disrespect to the soon-to-be retiree. I've been in a situation where the code was crap, but nobody on the business side could explain how it was supposed to work. Thus, reworking it was more of, "well, good luck, hope you figure it out." Hope you're not in that situation, Sander.

Because you want the project as a whole, and in greater sense the organization, to succeed. At some point, you have to only worry about what you can control. Good luck.

Nor can you code yourself out of it. No matter how much administration you give people over the data, there's always something new. It's ok, that's progress.

In my case, before retiring, it wasn't youth. It was aggressive ignorance by people who were "professional" developers for decades. Hence my retirement.

~2012

None. Retired in 2020 and haven't looked back.

No idea what you're writing. One possible benefit is that at least, AI should be able to report back the actions and inputs it provided to produce the bug, rather than, "The thing didn't work."

Just English, with the occasional phrase in Spanish thrown in.

This. The vast majority of meetings are for management to justify their existence. Hire smart, diligent people, and get out of their way.

Should've been rude. And included a screen shot to support your position.

Not necessarily you. For whatever reason, I was thinking about my career today. Looking back, I was always put into the position to be the guy carrying the pager (back in those days), picking up abandoned/not working applications, etc. IOW, being responsible for being aware of and fixing bugs/performance problems. While stressful, it made me a much better developer. In such positions, you're exposed to lots of different coding techniques; sometimes, it's "wow, that's a good idea, I should incorporate that more." Of course, a lot of the time it's, "Wow. This person should be fired." Some people's purpose in life is to serve as an example. Not necessarily positive.

None. If I want to do something, I don't wait until the Earth is in a particular position.

Good reference to The Jerk!