Comment by globnomulous
Comment by globnomulous 20 hours ago
> I can read code much faster than I can write it.
I have known and worked with many, many engineers across a wide range of skill levels. Not a single one has ever said or implied this, and in not one case have I ever found it to be true, least of all in my own case.
I don't think it's humanly possible to read and understand code faster than you can write and understand it to the same degree of depth. The brain just doesn't work that way. We learn by doing.
You definitely can. For example I know x86. I can read it and understand it quite well. But if you asked me to write even a basic program in it, it would take me a considerable amount of time.
The same goes with shell scripting.
But more importantly you don’t have to understand code to the same degree and depth. When I read code I understand what the code is doing and if it looks correct. I’m not going over other design decisions or implementation strategies (unless they’re obvious). If I did that then I’d agree. Id also stop doing code reviews and just write everything myself.