,false,false]–> .

This phrase is the ultimate developer jump scare. It provides zero context, raises immediate alarm bells, and leaves a trail of technical debt. Why “Not Working” is Dangerous

Vague comments do more harm than no comments at all. They introduce ambiguity into a system that requires absolute precision.

Zero Context: It fails to explain what is broken—is it the UI, the logic, or the API connection?

Wasted Time: The next developer must spend hours reverse-engineering the codebase just to find the issue.

Fear of Deletion: Team members will avoid touching or removing the broken block out of fear of crashing the entire application. How to Write Better Failure Comments

If you must comment out code that is broken or incomplete, follow a structured format. Give your future self and your team the context they need to fix it quickly. 1. Use Actionable Todo Tags

Always start with a standard tracking tag like TODO or FIXME. Most modern code editors highlight these tags automatically. 2. Explain the Expected vs. Actual Behavior

Briefly state what the code was supposed to do and exactly how it failed. 3. Leave a Paper Trail

Include your name, the date, and a reference to an issue tracker or ticket number if one exists. Bad vs. Better Examples HTML / Template Files Bad:

Better: JavaScript / Backend Code Bad:// This is broken

Better:// TODO: API returns 403 forbidden here because OAuth token expiration handling is missing. Temporary bypass added. - Sarah M. The Ultimate Fix: Stop Commenting Out Code

The best way to handle non-working code is to remove it entirely.

Modern development relies heavily on Version Control Systems (Git). If you need to revert to an older, broken version of a function to debug it, Git keeps that history safe for you.

If the code is part of a half-finished feature that cannot go live yet, wrap it in a feature flag or isolate it in a separate development branch. Leaving broken code rotting in production files wrapped in tags only degrades code quality. Clean it up, document the bug in your project management tool, and keep your codebase pristine.

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