i can read english after all

mail[at]jonahv[dot]com (Jonah) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100

A colleague shared a nice analogy for what being asked to edit an unfamiliar codebase can be like.

It’s from memory, so here goes:

“Being asked to edit an unfamiliar codebase (with the expectation that it’s some simple, quick fix) is like being asked to edit or summarise some literary novel you’ve never read. How hard can it be? You can read English after all!”

There might be better ones. But, to me, it nicely highlights how just because you can read and understand the programming language, doesn’t mean you can trivially intervene on the system in a sensible way. Like reading a book, you need to have a sense for the whole, or some key details, before you can confidently, meaningfully act on the content. In both cases, it’s a bigger ask than it appears. And it’s going to take longer than expected.

me on jonah vairon

i can read english after all