[PH95VuimJjqBqy]

> I have to say, this sentence annoys the heck out of me.

> Old code that can't be understood needs to be rewritten anyway.

I don't think it's that old code can't be understood, you can always understand what code is doing mechanically.

it's a question of can you predict the consequences. For example, if I rename this database column, what in our systems that have been built over the last 30+ years will explode? That's data rather than code, but the underlying idea is the same.

What happens is the very act of rewriting it puts you at risk of adverse effects.