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They are bad metrics.

Maybe it helps you understand if you think about how easy they are to game. You could just as well create useless lines of documentation as you could create useless lines of code.

Goodhart's law says:

"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure".



By your logic any metric is a bad metric is a bad metric because it can be gamed. In your model of the world good metrics don't exist.


I believe that you maybe misread me, which usually means that I haven't made myself clear enough.

I'm not saying "LoC is a bad metric because it can be gamed". Most metrics can, if you work hard enough.

I'm saying "LoC is a bad metric because it can be gamed by a child within a couple of minutes".

It's the difference between lock made of a tin sheet and a proper heavy-duty steel lock. People like the lockpicking lawyer can still pick the latter, but the former is so weak that it should never be relied upon.


It seems as if the gaming instinct is only at play if LOC is used as a productivity metric.

Avoiding LOC measurement for other (non-productivity) purposes is a mistake.




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