Qualities that matter.
WHAT GOOD CODE IS
Code that someone else can read, understand and change safely.
WHY THAT DEFINITION
Code is read far more often than it is written, and changed far more often than it is created.
WHAT CONTRIBUTES
Accurate names Small units with one responsibility Consistent conventions Shallow nesting Explicit behaviour Tests
WHAT DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE
Cleverness Brevity for its own sake Abstraction added in anticipation Comments explaining unclear code
WHY THAT LAST POINT
A comment explaining what code does is usually a sign the code should be clearer.
WHAT CLEVER CODE COSTS
Time, every time anyone reads it, including its author six months later.
WHAT TO OPTIMISE FOR
The reader.
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE SUBMITTING ANYTHING
Would someone unfamiliar understand this without asking me?
WHAT TO DO IF THE ANSWER IS NO
Rename, split, or simplify.
WHAT MATTERS MORE THAN ANY INDIVIDUAL RULE
Consistency across the codebase.
