190R6 Good Coding Practice: Usability & Quality of Code

Writing good quality usable code is an art form and easily achieved by understanding a few basic considerations.

Usability

“Before software can be reusable it first has to be usable.” – Ralph Johnson
— Programming Wisdom (@CodeWisdom) February 17, 2020, on Twitter

Usable code is:

• easily fixed and maintained
• easily expanded, modified or enhanced

Quality Code

Good quality code can remain in use for several years (on average, lifetimes estimated to be around 6 years), or sometimes much longer. Whereas poor quality code is normally replaced fairly quickly as it is difficult, or impossible, to maintain. Good qualities include:

1. Reliable & Robust Code
2. Writing Readable Code
3. Portable Code
4. Predefined Code