Chapter 15. The Other Face
What we do not understand we do not possess.—GOETHE
O give me commentators plain,Who with no deep researchers vex the brain.—CRABBE
A computer program is a message from a man to a machine. The rigidly marshaled syntax and the scrupulous definitions all exist to make intention clear to the dumb engine.
But a written program has another face, that which tells its story to the human user. For even the most private of programs, some such communication is necessary; memory will fail the author-user, and he will require refreshing on the details of his handiwork.
How much more vital is the documentation for a public program, ...
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