The best way to familiarize yourself with an inherited codebase

Question

Stacker Nobody asked about the most shocking thing new programmers find as they enter the field.

Very high on the list, is the impact of inheriting a codebase with which

Answer 1

One of the best ways to familiarize yourself with inherited code is to get your hands dirty. Start with fixing a few simple bugs and work your way into more complex ones. That will warm you up to the code better than trying to systematically review the code.

If there's a requirements or functional specification document (which is hopefully up-to-date), you must read it.

If there's a high-level or detailed design document (which is hopefully up-to-date), you probably should read it.

Another good way is to arrange a "transfer of information" session with the people who are familiar with the code, where they provide a presentation of the high level design and also do a walk-through of important/tricky parts of the code.