Comment Re:elegant != clever (Score 1) 477
Exactly.
I've read too many comments where people deride 'cleverness' as if they don't want their programmers to think and the ones that can and do are bad programmers. It all seems like overcompensation by the PHBs for the glut of programmers that came in during the DotCom era out of Community College or a Programming for Dummies book. Programmers became a commodity, and the level of ability, knowledge and expertise dropped accordingly. Managers dealt with it by making this the norm and making it a crime to be a smart programmer.
Up-to-date documentation and well-commented code is good. Code clarity is also good. That is not in dispute, but that has always been the case. This is all about accommodating the off-the-shelf programmer at the expense of the ones with experience and know-how.