I recently started a new job as a unix admin, a large part of my job is coding perl, which is one of the reasons I took the job. I have been shown a somewhat hefty repository of code. I was hesitant to comment on it since the other (senior) members of the team wrote it. These senior team members comprise a knowledge of UNIX administration that not only cuts wide, but deep. Each is proficent in different areas: C, security TCP/IP, etc... Anyway... When I saw the code I immediatley started rewriting it -largely to suit my own style (at first). I started by adding

use warnings;
use strict;
[download]

fixed what was being complained about and then moved on to replacing large if .. elsif .. else structures, and added some comments. To be fair - it wasn't horrible code, just lacking structure and style, and what I consider a few peices of ugliness thrown in to get a job done quickly when under pressure.

Now I have these programs cleaned up and in some cases not recognisable by the original coders. To boot Ive only touched the tip of the iceberg

How do I present this to them? Do I just say I changed a few things to match my coding style? Do I point out the errors? Keeping in mind that I on some level report to these people, whom I also rely on for their knowledge in areas where I am lacking.

Id also be interested in hearing how others have dealt with similar situations.

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