Who benefits from clear, understandable code?
In short, just about everyone benefits.
First, clear code is easier to follow while debugging and, for that
matter, is less likely to have as many bugs in the first place, so
writing clean code makes your own life easier even in the very short
term. (For a case in point, see the discussion surrounding Example 27-2
in Item 27.) Further, when you return to the code a month or ayear
later—as you surely will if the code is any good and is actually being
used—it's much easier to pick it up again and understand what's going
on. Most programmers find keeping full details of code in their heads
difficult for even a few weeks, especially after having moved on to
other work; after a few months or even a few years, it's too easy to go
back to your own code and imagine it was written by a stranger—albeit a
stranger who curiously happened to follow your personal coding style.
But enough about selfishness. Let's turn to altruism: Those who have
to maintain your code also benefit from clarity and readability. After
all, to maintain code well one must first grok the
code. "To grok," as coined by Robert Heinlein, means to comprehend
deeply and fully; in this case, that includes understanding the
internal workings of the code itself, as well as its side effects and
interactions with other sub-systems. It is altogether too easy to
introduce new errors when changing code one does not fully understand.
Code that is clear and understandable is easier to grok, and therefore,
fixes to such code become less fragile, less risky, less likely to have
un-intended side effects.
Most important, however, your end users benefit from clear and understandable code for all these reasons: Such code is likely
to have had fewer initial bugs in the first place, and it's likely to have been maintained more correctly without as many
new bugs being introduced.
Guideline
By default, prefer to write for clarity and correctness first.
以上摘录自www.informit.com。
