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About this quote

What does it mean?
The author expresses doubt because the source code he needed was often unavailable when required.
In plain terms
He doubted due to missing source code.
What can you take from it?
Having reliable access to source is essential for troubleshooting.

Where it applies

  • debugging
  • maintenance

Putting it to work

  • maintain proper version control
  • ensure documentation

Questions to consider

  • What practices ensure source availability when needed?

Another view

Even with source, complex code can still be hard to understand.

More from Larry Wall

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  3. I knew I'd hate COBOL the moment I saw they'd used 'perform' instead of 'do'.

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