As necessary as code is, documentation of that code is arguably extra necessary. No developer, and no software program, exists in a vacuum; until different builders can perceive the code you’ve written, it loses a lot of its potential affect.
However what about machines? Do additionally they want good docs?
The reply is sure, and factors to a way forward for “tiered documentation,” a time period I first noticed described by Vlad Ionescu. As he particulars, tiered documentation means “having one set of documentation for human customers and having one other set of documentation particularly for LLM [large language model] coaching.” The previous must be simply consumed by folks; the latter must be detailed in order that instruments comparable to Amazon CodeWhisperer or GitHub Copilot will yield ever-improving code. It’s a captivating idea with the last word goal of enhancing developer productiveness. So, what do we have to get there?
The significance of nice docs
Ask a developer what she must be productive, and invariably the reply is “nice documentation.” In reality, SlashData has requested that query for years, and docs at all times high the record:
SlashDataGood documentation constantly ranks first on builders’ wishlists.
That is, in fact, extra simply stated than performed. Although we all know the significance of docs (e.g., for transmitting information, as developer Jeremy Mikkola posits), it’s invariably the duty software program builders least wish to do. As Kislay Verma notes, writing good documentation is actually arduous, and never as a lot enjoyable as writing the code itself.
Properly, it simply bought more durable.
For developer Jakub KoÄŤĂ, “The most important drawback [in writing docs] is readability.” In spite of everything, he continues, “We’re writing code for people first, not for machines. Making it work is only a half of the answer, making it well-structured and maintainable is one other … typically tougher half.” Which may have been true in 2022 when KoÄŤĂ first stated that, however in 2024, it’s arguably simply as necessary that machines perceive your documentation as a lot as builders do, given the rise of LLM-driven coding assistants like Amazon CodeWhisperer or GitHub Copilot.
Machines want totally different documentation than folks do—extra detailed, for instance.
Introducing tiered documentation
As Ionescu suggests, “Tiered documentation is one thing a number of people are experimenting with as an answer/workaround for LLM code assistants…being dumb as a result of docs are dumb.” Some software program firms are attempting to resolve this by working instantly with companions to feed pattern code, docs, and so on., instantly into the LLM. My employer, MongoDB, has performed this with AWS. It really works however isn’t scalable. Ideally, as a software program developer, whether or not you’re a person or a company, you wish to construct documentation that LLMs will crawl on their very own.
You additionally want to make sure LLMs will perceive your software program at a deep degree in order that they will return the absolute best code when builders immediate them. Sadly, as Ionescu laments, “Most developer documentation (and even person documentation) is normally written for newbies and that’s now a blocker.” For an individual, it’s completely applicable to offer fast begins and primary code samples, however feed that sort of restricted information to a machine, and it’ll “battle to supply critical, production-level code options.”
The concept behind tiered documentation is that “by default, crawling bots for LLMs [will] get super-detailed, in-depth docs, and people [will] get friendlier docs,” Ionescu summarizes.
That’s the thought. What’s the fact? Properly, actuality bites, a minimum of for now. To my information, nobody has efficiently performed this, however there’s no motive it could actually’t be performed. It is going to be tough to ship docs that fulfill each people and machines, however as we determine the methodologies, the last word winner will probably be builders.
We’re a great distance from LLMs having the ability to spit out code successfully and constantly sufficient to interchange compilers, as O’Reilly’s Mike Loukides argues. However we’re already residing in a world the place LLMs can help builders in writing nice code. Enhancing documentation for builders and the LLMs upon which they more and more rely will probably be essential to advancing developer productiveness.
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