"The code is more like guidelines than actual rules..." ~ Barbossa

Always remember that published material is a resource to use as a guideline (3.5e DMG has this written in the intro) for the most important aspect of the game... having fun. If the rule is convoluted, obscure, hazy, muddled or otherwise unusable; the players and GM can toss the book out and just play. Hanging up on technicalities is the quickest way to destroy the vibe of a gaming session, or worse, the entire gaming group.