Developers make dozens of small decisions with every bit of code that they write. How do we know when we have made good decisions, and what makes code “better”. Is it just a matter of style and subjectivity?

In this presentation, I’ll show you how we can look at code objectively. Starting with architecture and code design: how much design is good, what kind of design, and other such tricky questions.

Also how to keep your code maintainable, drawing from Kent Beck’s latest book “Tidy First?” as well as many other industry opinions. I’ll summarize the key points so you don’t have to read it all (but if you’re interested, there will be some top book recommendations at the end).

This talk will merge both practicality and theory. We’ll go through the checklist of how to keep code “clean” (or maintainable, if you prefer), but also delve a little into the theory behind which decisions to make when. You’ll definitely leave with a deeper understanding of what “better code” means.