Having worked with a large code base, maintained over a period of time (25+) by multiple persons has learned me respect and that even old code have a value in virtue of being running without problems over time. A piece of software that is running without problems has a value in itself that have to be taken into account when considering the cost of maintenance.<p>Respect earlier developers and try to minimise _unnecessary_ changes that break version control history. Did earlier developers use names you don&#x27;t like? Formatting you don&#x27;t like? InconsistentCamelCasing or other_naming_paradigms you don&#x27;t like? Let it be -- at least until you do a refactoring where _you_ claim responsibility.<p>It may not be a good point to uncritically and retroactively apply the good points from the original article in an old code base.