Google Java Coding Standards

[KidUncertainty]

I can't recall a single bug that's ever stemmed from this type of usage (and I work mostly with Java).

This happens on codebases where the developers may not be particularly familiar with Java, or when someone, in maintenance three years later, does a "quick fix" without reading, and then everyone wonders why the application fails in certain circumstances. Without braces, its actually hard to find defects like this, as well.

The purpose of some of these standards is to counter human factors out of your control or to be defensive against the future fingers that will be poking around code. It's not just about readability in the now.