The best kind of code

An empty podium for first, second and third place.

Code never written

Code never read

Code never changed

Code telling a story

The best code is the one we never write. Perhaps user research shows that there will be no value. Or there might be a library we could use, or some service.

If we have to write code it should have an interface so clear that it tells all there is to know. If the code can be trusted, and we know how to use it, there is no need to read it.

If we need to read it, at least it should have so little responsibility that there is only one reason to change it. And if there is only one reason to change it, nothing else should be at risk breaking due to that change.

If we have to change it, like really change it, keeping some functionality and changing other parts. Then it should at least tell us so much about it self that we know what is going on.

This is my code type top-list. What is your favourite kind of code?

Comments

1. Michael Große

"The code that has been deleted." Would maybe be part of my "best kinds of code"-list. Maybe it was part of a prototype from which have learned all that we could learn. Or of a feature that is no longer needed. Or some utility that has been replaced by a library. We should not get attached to code and be happy to remove it. Maybe we should have a Marie Kondo-attitude to it: thank our code for its service and then let go of it to make space in our minds for new experiments :)

2. EsterDaniel Ytterbrink

Yes! It is definitely one of my favorites as well . Even though I do not know where to put it in the list to keep the flow of the text. It is a sibling to code that is not changed, since the mindset of one reason for change also creates code that is easy to delete.

3. Michael Große

True. No need to explicitly put it in the list. Additions and related thoughts like this, are exactly what a comment section is there for 😊

SAMMAN TECHNICAL TRAINING

Send your team to a course and some of them will remember part of it. Use the Samman method and they will apply what they learn from day one.

Book a meeting if you want to talk to me about maintainable code, to explore how I might help your team. I offer this for free, since I rather talk tech than do sales pitches. Let's explore if I can help you, by trying to solve your problems from the start.

Book a first 30 min meeting through Calendly.

Comment on the blog!

Create a comment by emailing me.
I will then add the comment to the post.

Open an email to start writing.

Related texts

A single frosted leaf with clear contours and veins.

TDD in the context of writing code to be read

Jan 18, 2024

266 words

Unit tests define the collaborators and the purpose of a piece of code. When reading code with unit tests, we can read the tests first, and focus on how the unit interacts with the system. Then reading the computational code is only about the implementation of that unit. Separating concerns like that lightens the cognitive load.

quality

agile

code

Wunder Baum hanging from a car window (Known as Little Trees in most English-speaking countries)

Wunderbaum testing

Nov 23, 2023

315 words

Some testing frameworks are so powerful that they take away all the design pressure. They have a place in a codebase that stinks so much you can't work in it without some perfume. In all other cases they disturb your nose for well designed code.