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    I was disappointed with this article. Based on the title I expected a dive into refactoring old code and how to maintain a legacy code base. What I got from this was a guide on how to contribute to open source projects.

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      Do you happen to have any links to resources like this? I spend about half my time dealing with “startup” code held together with duct-tape and papier-mâché. It’s a constant battle between writing code for new features and trying to refactor old code so it is less crusty.

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        I know of two books that hit a little bit on this topic. Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers and Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler. I haven’t personally read them (I’m about to start Refactoring) but multiple people have spoken very highly of them.

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          Awesome, thanks! I’ll check these out.

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      I just learned something new:

      7. Get up-to-date

      $ git fetch upstream
      $ git rebase upstream/master
      

      That’s so clear and clean. Thanks!

      The second good thing I learned is 4. Run the tests BEFORE you make any changes.

      Here, have an upvote!