Art of Readable Code (Paperback)

Dustin Boswell

ISBN 10: 0596802293 / ISBN 13: 9780596802295

Published by O'Reilly Media, Sebastopol, 2011

About this Item

Paperback. With this book, programmers will learn to write code that's easy to read and understand. This text focuses on the nuts and bolts of programming, with simple and practical techniques users can use every time they sit down to write code.As programmers, we've all seen source code that's so ugly and buggy it makes our brain ache. And let's be honest, we've all written code like that. With this book, you'll learn to write code that's easy to read and understand. You'll have more fun and your coworkers will love you."The Art of Coding" focuses on the nuts and bolts of programming, with simple and practical techniques you can use every time you sit down to write code. You'll find tips throughout the book, with easy-to-digest code examples, helpful illustrations, and cartoons for fun.Learn to pick variable names that are "dense with information" Organize your loops and conditionals so they're easy to understand Make your comments short and sweet Recognize when your code is doing too many things at once Write tests that are concise, but thorough Master the art of breaking hard problems into many smaller ones Learn to write code that's readable, reusable, clean, and maintainable -- a goal that eludes many people who code for a living. The Art of Coding helps you focus on the nuts and bolts of programming with simple and practical techniques you can use every time you sit down to write code. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780596802295

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Art of Readable Code (Paperback)
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Sebastopol
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0596802293
• ISBN 13: 9780596802295
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

As programmers, we’ve all seen source code that’s so ugly and buggy it makes our brain ache. Over the past five years, authors Dustin Boswell and Trevor Foucher have analyzed hundreds of examples of "bad code" (much of it their own) to determine why they’re bad and how they could be improved. Their conclusion? You need to write code that minimizes the time it would take someone else to understand it―even if that someone else is you.

This book focuses on basic principles and practical techniques you can apply every time you write code. Using easy-to-digest code examples from different languages, each chapter dives into a different aspect of coding, and demonstrates how you can make your code easy to understand.

• Simplify naming, commenting, and formatting with tips that apply to every line of code
• Refine your program’s loops, logic, and variables to reduce complexity and confusion
• Attack problems at the function level, such as reorganizing blocks of code to do one task at a time
• Write effective test code that is thorough and concise―as well as readable

"Being aware of how the code you create affects those who look at it later is an important part of developing software. The authors did a great job in taking you through the different aspects of this challenge, explaining the details with instructive examples."

―Michael Hunger, passionate Software Developer

About the Author

Although raised in the circus, Dustin Boswell realized early on that he was better at computers than at acrobatics. Dustin received his B.S. from Caltech, where he got hooked on Computer Science, and then went to UC San Diego for his Master's Degree. He worked at Google for five years, on a variety of projects including web crawling infrastructure. Dustin is now an internet startup junkie who spends his free time hiking the Santa Monica mountains and being a new dad.

Trevor Foucher has been shipping software projects for over 10 years, including Windows 2000 and OneCare at Microsoft, and Webmaster Tools at Google. He's been an individual contributor, manager, and tech lead. His goal is to make code more readable and reliable.