Probably not. I think the ends far outweigh the perceived gains from being “recognized.” One of the major advantages of PHP is its heavily documented functions and its almost one stop shop for finding everything you’ll need and want to know about a function. I don’t know who those people are, but I have a lot of love for the time and energy they put in.
It is possible to find their names, but I don’t think many would put in the energy. Coincidently, not many will put in the effort to document a project. It just takes too much sweat, blood, and tears.
It is rewarding in the metaphorical sense, and if you have to pay penitence for not documenting past projects. Documenting another’s project is one way to avoid the whip. It is actually relaxing, in the sense that I can spend hours, “Holy crap, it is 3am already? Just a few more hours and then I’ll go to bed.”
The project I’m currently documenting probably be the same. People may thank me without knowing my name, but you know I won’t mind. If only to make up for past mistakes and learn new habits that will better benefit future ones. The reward for me, is the knowledge gained from the insight and from that I think I’m doing myself more good. It is how I can justify non sexy work, such as documentation.
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Tags: Documentation, PHP, Programming, writing
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