The previous blog post, titled "Defining Software Elegance," discussed the concept of elegance in software, introducing two quantifiable attributes: symmetry and simplicity. It explored how elegance has its roots in mathematics and its application to software solutions. However, it did not explain the widespread desire and admiration associated with elegance. This follow-up blog post explores the underlying reasoning behind the veneration of elegance.
One of the most desirable attributes of elegant code is maintainability. It has a clean and logical structure that is easy to understand and modify. The simplicity and clarity enhance its readability, enabling developers to grasp its functionality and quickly make necessary improvements. As a result, maintenance is efficient. Additionally, code with a low cognitive overhead eases the team member onboarding burden.
In his book Clean Architecture, Roger Martin explains that software has two value types: behavioral and structural. The behavioral value is inherent in what the software does. Structural value describes how easily the software can adapt to a constantly changing business environment. Behavioral value is only relevant in the present and is thus the lesser of the two.
An elegant codebase optimizes structural value by allowing easy extension and modification without introducing unnecessary complications. This scalability and extensibility make elegant software more adaptable to evolving needs, saving time and resources in the long term.
While often promising, third-party tools come at a cost. They dramatically increase the probability of update incompatibility[1] and create opaque corners in a code base. Furthermore, third-party programming products are globally adaptable, meaning they seldom dovetail perfectly with specialized domains[2]. These trade-offs are sometimes justifiable; however, elegant solutions trend toward fewer dependencies.
Writing elegant code showcases a developer's professionalism and dedication to their craft. It reflects a commitment to producing high-quality, well-crafted software solutions. Elegance demonstrates a mastery of the underlying concepts, an understanding of the problem domain, and an ability to distill complex ideas into elegant solutions. By striving for elegance, developers take pride in their work.
The quality of software a developer writes highly correlates with job satisfaction. Tom DeMarco writes about this topic extensively in his book Peopleware[3]. Research indicates that happy employees enjoy their work more and are more productive and innovative. Furthermore, Happy employees equate to lower turnover, directly impacting the bottom line.
In conclusion, elegant software is highly desirable due to its positive impact on maintainability, scalability, collaboration, employee satisfaction, and the bottom line. Elegant code is easily adaptable, minimizing dependencies and enabling efficient modifications. It showcases professionalism and craftsmanship, reflecting a commitment to high-quality solutions. Let's continue our journey towards writing elegant, maintainable, and exceptional software solutions together, making a meaningful difference in the software development landscape.
If you haven't already, I encourage you to read the previous blog post, "Defining Elegance," to delve deeper into the concept and its relationship with software development. Read it here.
[1] Most software developers have felt the pain of being forced to rewrite working code because a 3rd party library arbitrarily changed its API.
[2]This is Fisher's fundamental theorem as applied to software.
[3] See Chapter 4
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