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Book: Clean Code by Robert C. Martin


The examples are "very Java" at times, and you might not agree with all the choices the author makes, but don't be discouraged: the book gives you some very useful principles about how to structure your code, split it into simple parts, and generally avoid making a mess (I think the most valuable one was operate on a single level of abstraction at a time). The book includes real-life examples that are really helpful for understanding.

Overall, I think my time reading this book was well spent.

Some important points:

  • "The folks who think that code will one day disappear are like mathematicians who hope one day to discover a mathematics that does not have to be formal."
  • (Michael Feathers) Clean code looks like written by someone who cares; there is nothing obvious you can do to make it better.
  • Tests have different requirements than production code but have to be kept clean as well, or it will impact your project seriously.
  • You should be able to describe what your class does in a simple sentence that doesn't contain any "and"s or "if's.
  • Refactoring "is like solving a Rubik's cube" - you have to make a lot of small steps, not always straight to the goal.