Programming-y things… (2017-02-19)

• Code is more often read than written
• Locality is execution is important. So is locality of reference.
• The more code you touch, the more potential bugs you introduce.
• Tests can confirm the presence of bugs, not the absence of bugs.
• Keeping comments in synch with the code right next to it is nearly impossible. But it’s much more possible than keeping it anywhere else.
• Can methods be too short? Sure. But just between you and me, how often have you seen that?
• Just because they’re rows in the same database table doesn’t mean they’re the same kinds of things. (I’m not a great fan of factories — but dealing with the impedance mismatch of ORM-land is a place where they really, really belong.)
• Use single assignment as much as possible. Introducing a new variable is probably cheaper than adding in the amount of reasoning necessary when reusing variables.
• Nearly any rule can be broken if the scope within which the effects can be seen is sufficiently small.
• You can tell a lot about code from how it looks from across the room.
• Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend. (This is one of my favorites of recent days. You should probably read it.)
• Dammit…SIMPLE!!! Don’t give the “surprising behavior” anywhere to hide!!
• Data that serves different purposes should not live together. It will cause trouble.
• Writing fearlessly does not come free. Or easy. But it can be cheap.