I know I keep using that word, but good code and good code review should focus on maintainability.
Code that is at a metaphorical 90% of perfect quality already gives you a high maintainbility, and that can usually be achieved with only a reasonable amount of effort. Putting more effort into it can get it up to 99% quality, but the ROI of that addditional (and typically not slight) effort tends to be far lower. Most importantly, given that most code serves a business need, the low ROI of perfectionism tends to harm the economic maintainability of that business.
Maybe so, but when you're working in open source software, all those dynamics get turned upside-down. If outside contributors can't understand the code, it isn't maintainable. (And that's what we're aiming for with this.)
I know I keep using that word, but good code and good code review should focus on maintainability.
Code that is at a metaphorical 90% of perfect quality already gives you a high maintainbility, and that can usually be achieved with only a reasonable amount of effort. Putting more effort into it can get it up to 99% quality, but the ROI of that addditional (and typically not slight) effort tends to be far lower. Most importantly, given that most code serves a business need, the low ROI of perfectionism tends to harm the economic maintainability of that business.
Maybe so, but when you're working in open source software, all those dynamics get turned upside-down. If outside contributors can't understand the code, it isn't maintainable. (And that's what we're aiming for with this.)
Oops! I retract that comment, Alain. You are 100% correct. I read this backwards.
me takes a long swig of coffee