Day 207 - The Fence in the Code

systems without understanding the embedded knowledge. They remove the fence and spend months rebuilding it piece by piece as they rediscover why it was there in the first place. Example: A workaround that looks clunky is removed, only to discover months later it was handling a critical edge case that now breaks in production. Chesterton's Fence Is NOT About Keeping Everything Common Misunderstanding: "Chesterton's Fence means never change anything old." The Truth: Chesterton's Fence means earn the right to change something by understanding it first. You don't have to agree with every decision that came before you. You just have to know: What those decisions were Why they were made