What is good code?
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The document discusses the characteristics of 'good code', emphasizing readability, usability, and maintainability as essential factors for effective software development. It outlines strategies for achieving readable and efficient code, including adherence to design principles and avoiding over-engineering. Key quotes from notable figures illustrate the importance of simplicity, clarity, and user-centric design in programming.
What is good code?
- 1. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Good Code What, Why, and How to Get There Houston Java Group 2015 Jane Prusakova Josh Rizzo @Improving Enterprises College Station
- 2. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. What is “good”? Functional Bug-free Performant Good design Tested Testable Easy to change
- 3. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Usability Users and clients Developers
- 4. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc.
- 5. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. “Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.” – Abelson and Sussman
- 6. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Readability has value NOW Code is an asset affects productivity monetary value
- 7. Readability has value OVER TIME Software evolves over time Work by many different teams Changes affect value
- 8. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Readability has cost More hard work More time More training
- 9. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. How good code does not happen
- 10. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Readable code
- 11. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. It was hard to write It should be hard to read Who is responsible?
- 12. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Lets make code more… See: https://github.com/joshrizzo/ReadabilityJava
- 13. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Visible code White space! Spacing and indent matter The Law of Demeter – avoid the “train wreck” coding style Step 1
- 14. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Small steps One thing at a time Glance-sized chunks “Programming can be fun, so can cryptography; however they should not be combined.” – Kreitzberg and Shneiderman Step 2
- 15. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Code with a narrative Use naming to show intent Testable code “Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it.” – Brian W. Kernighan Step 3
- 16. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Single Responsibility Architecture Interface design "Good design adds value faster than it adds cost." - Thomas C. Gale Step 4
- 17. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Easy to read Single level of abstraction “The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise.” – Edsger Dijkstra Step 5
- 18. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Readable++ Simplicity
- 19. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein
- 20. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Simple vs Fast Correctness more important than speed Simple code is more likely to be and stay correct Modularize code w/ performance concerns Optimize locally
- 21. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc.
- 22. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Simple vs Flexible Re-use is rare Predictions of re-use are poor Raises complexity significantly Unused => not working
- 23. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Simple vs Clever Over engineering Mixing abstractions Inappropriate patterns Complicated syntax
- 24. ©2010 Improving Enterprises, Inc. Good Code What, Why, and How to Get There https://github.com/joshrizzo/ReadabilityJava/ Houston Java Group 2015 Jane Prusakova Josh Rizzo @Improving Enterprises College Station
Editor's Notes
- #3: Usability: The system needs to be functional for the users and clients. Usability: The code needs to be readable for the current and future development of the system.
- #5: My most popular slide from the #live360 keynote: a comical explanation of how software dev keeps getting harder.
- #6: Abelson founding director of both Creative Commons and the Free Software Foundation. Sussman and Abelson are co-authors of popular textbook “Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs”
- #14: Edsger Dijkstra was a Dutch computer scientist, known for introducing the idea that GOTO is a smell, developing shortest path algorithm, and developing the concept of formal verification.
- #15: Ben Shneiderman studied programmers and their interactions with the code, developed principles of interface design, worked on information visualization and usability.
- #16: Ben Shneiderman studied programmers and their interactions with the code, developed principles of interface design, worked on information visualization and usability.
- #17: Tom Gale is an automobile designer.
- #19: This quote first appear in Reader’s Digest in 1977, with no supporting references. Attributed to Einstein from someone’s memory, not found in his writings.
- #20: This quote first appear in Reader’s Digest in 1977, with no supporting references. Attributed to Einstein from someone’s memory, not found in his writings.
- #22: Bucatti Veyron, top speed 267mph, total production 450 unit. Toyota Corolla, top-selling car for many years. Doesn’t go faster than 111mph. Sold 1.2 units world-wide.