When Inheriting a Codebase, there are more questions than answers...(javacodegeeks.com)
javacodegeeks.com
When Inheriting a Codebase, there are more questions than answers...
http://www.javacodegeeks.com/2011/09/when-inheriting-codebase-there-are-more.html
That sounds unbecoming dogmatic. If there's a working build system which is not a total pain, why change?
The first rule when inheriting a code base should be "avoid unnecessary change".
Often you look at some parts of the code base, and wonder what on earth the original authors had been thinking (or smoking). But when you try to replace it you see that the old solution did make some sort of sense.