Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
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Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
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Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#2How to write good code:
1. Comment as much as possible, stating intention.
2. Don't duplicate code. You need a function that does something similar to another one, but slightly differs? Do not duplicate it. Less code is less maintenance.
3. Don't circlejerk over code quality, your goal as a programmer should be to write the best software you can. The end goal is the software, not the code. Stop circlejerking in pull requests, issue threads, wherever. Make the best software you can and move on to the next problem.
Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#3Comments from the original posting:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11093733
Comments from the repost 4 months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23914486
Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#4I always tell people that “deleted code is the best code” but it takes a lot courage to delete code from an existing code base.
Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#5I think thats' the hidden goal of modular programming.. or functional programming to an extent. Have easy variability to allow for easy adjusting to converge to an optimal solution.
Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#6Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#7The best code is the code you don't write.
I'll sometimes spend a couple of hours on a method, removing unnecessary code.
It does NOT always end up with more performant code (sometimes, the opposite), but it does reduce the "I don't wanna remove all that code" surface, and it usually* makes the code easier to understand.
* I write Swift. Sometimes, less code is more obscure code, and I often have to go back and put code I removed back in, to make it more understandable.
Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#8https://github.com/kelseyhightower/nocode
What's up with the issues page on that project? There's many that are just random chinese characters?
Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#9The best code is the code you don't write. I'll sometimes spend a couple of hours on a method, removing unnecessary code. It does NOT always end up with more performant code (sometimes, the opposite), but it does reduce the "I don't wanna remove all that code " surface, and it usually* makes the code easier to understand. * I write Swift. Sometimes, less code is more obscure code, and I often have to go back and put…
> The best code is the code you don't write.
I envision your comment will be taken out of context to literally justify adding mountains of code written by other people. Invented Here Syndrome
Re: Write code that is easy to delete, not easy to extend (2016)
#10One of the hardest aspects about maintaining an in-house system at a small company can be refraining yourself from removing code that would decrease the company's tech debt. Most managers don't want to admit the smart code they wrote three years ago causes more problems than it solves, and it can get really awkward.