I suppose one could claim that an undocumented feature has no semantics. :-(
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- An undocumented feature lacks a defined meaning, so its behavior is ambiguous.
- In plain terms
- If a feature isn’t documented, its meaning is unclear.
- What can you take from it?
- Document features to give them clear semantics.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does documentation affect code reliability?
- When is it acceptable to leave a feature undocumented?
Another view
Even undocumented features can be used intuitively by experienced users.
More from Larry Wall
I'm afraid my gut level reaction is basically, proceed is cute, but cute doesn't cut it in the emergency room.
Permalink to quote #162 Yes, we have consensus that we need 64 bit support. :-)
Permalink to quote #164 Beauty? What's that?
Permalink to quote #161
Related quotes
I spent this time polishing up the software/hardware documentation, renaming registers to be more meaningful. This was actually time well spent in my life.
Jay MinerJay Miner quote #3 It's documented in The Book, somewhere...
Larry WallLarry Wall quote #14 Let's say the docs present a simplified view of reality... :-)
Larry WallLarry Wall quote #17