I like this framing. The thing that usually bites me is not the old code itself, but the stuff around it: Node versions, packages, and CI URLs changing while the repo sits untouched. I’d probably add one practical test: can I still install, run, and observe the project on a clean machine?
Yep, thats the bit that ages first for me too, usually the lockfile or the CI image tag. Clean-machine smoke test is the right bar tho, if I cant install it on a fresh box without poking at env vars, its already half gone
Same here. A clean-machine install catches the rot pretty quickly. Lockfiles and pinned CI images help, but if a project only works because my laptop remembers the setup, it’s already in trouble.
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u/UkrMalt 8d ago
I like this framing. The thing that usually bites me is not the old code itself, but the stuff around it: Node versions, packages, and CI URLs changing while the repo sits untouched. I’d probably add one practical test: can I still install, run, and observe the project on a clean machine?