# Replace inappropriate wording in code?

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/replace-inappropriate-wording-in-code/635195>\
**Category:** random\
**Created:** [September 1, 2016, 7:23am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/replace-inappropriate-wording-in-code/635195 "2016-09-01T07:23:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![linusj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@linusj](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/linusj)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 7:23am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/replace-inappropriate-wording-in-code/635195/1 "2016-09-01T07:23:13Z")

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I have a scriptfile from a fellow “programmer” with a debug that contains an inappropriate wording “W-T-F!”…

1. Is this common? i.e should I just leave it there…
2. Should I do nothing according to the moral codex -\> “coders are responsible for their own code”
3. change it to something more appropriate like -“ftw” or -“surprise error”

_edit: the code in question is under version control, so it is fairly public and trackable for every change and edit._

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**Author:** ![senocular](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/forum.kirupa.com/senocular/32/7217_2.png) [@senocular](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/senocular)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 9:52am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/replace-inappropriate-wording-in-code/635195/2 "2016-09-02T09:52:26Z")

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My opinion would be, if its checked in under their name, and would only be exposed to developers (via source code or only within a debugging env), then leave it in. Otherwise, clean it up.

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**Author:** ![linusj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@linusj](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/linusj)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 10:56am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/replace-inappropriate-wording-in-code/635195/3 "2016-09-02T10:56:23Z")

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I thought I should leave it, if I don’t edit the file. Otherwise I clean it up. Thanks!

A friend told me a story from the late 80’s when computers was all text based, joking and rewriting each others debug with comments like: “you stupid etc etc”… one day the client called in tears. _-“the computer told me I was stupid”_…so they had to quit joking with each other. 😃

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**Author:** ![tbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@tbo](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/tbo)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/replace-inappropriate-wording-in-code/635195/4 "2016-09-02T14:35:39Z")

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Sometimes i feel like my own code is indirectly swearing at me when i reread it, line by line. 😁

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**Author:** ![linusj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@linusj](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/linusj)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/replace-inappropriate-wording-in-code/635195/5 "2016-09-02T15:43:54Z")

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Maybe there is too much cursing in your code?

All I could think of regarding my own coding is:  
-“the man who couldn’t talk to horses”, or -“more debug code than actual code”

… but I don’t swear! 😊