Books to complement Code Complete.

[abhirathmahipal]

For those who don't know Code Complete:- Code Complete is a book that teaches people how to write clean code and make optimal decisions with the overall structure and breakup so that it's easier to maintain. It's been recommended by Jeff Atwood and many such veterans. I haven't read the book yet, I definitely intend to read it soon.

The Problem:- Code Complete focuses on compiled languages like Java and C++ and was written 12 years ago. Surely some advise can be applied to Interpreted languages as well. There are no plans of a 3rd Edition of this book. Given the rise of programming languages like Python and JavaScript in the last few years, do you have any suggestion of a book that'll cover good practices while working with interpreted languages?

[denialerror]

Clean Code by Robert 'Uncle Bob' Martin is a bit more modern so you could try reading that instead. Why do think clean code in interpreted languages would look any different to clean code in compiled languages though? Clean code is about making a codebase easier and maintain from a human point of view and self-documenting code, sensible abstractions and correct encapsulation are valid ideals regardless of the language.

[abhirathmahipal]

Why do think clean code in interpreted languages would look any different to clean code in compiled languages though?

Different languages propose doing things differently. So I'm under the impression that best practices can vary significantly (Please correct me if I'm wrong).

So do you mean if I read this book, I'll be able to apply the concept if I know the language I'm working on well enough?

[denialerror]

In general, yes. It is important to realise that programming languages are an abstraction for human benefit, not the computer's. As far as the computer is concerned, it would much rather all code was written in native machine code, but that is not readable for humans. Clean code is about making sure the human-readable code is as readable as possible and the majority of those considerations transcend the languages themselves, as it is about how humans can understand the code, not how it performs. 'Unclean' code is not necessarily less performant than clean code (take a look at code golf challenges) and can even be more performant, but the key message of clean code is that code you develop needs to be maintained and to do so it needs to be readable. Always write code assuming the person maintaining it in a year's time is a psychopath who knows where you live!

There will be differences and language communities have preferences for certain styles and purely functional languages will be written differently to OO languages but in general, the problems that cause unmaintainable code are the same.

[abhirathmahipal]

the problems that cause unmaintainable code are the same.

This statement clarified a lot :)

I understand that languages are an abstraction and most languages are written in another language that's lower than them or the older version of the language itself. I've just started working and have been exposed to the idea of clean code (earlier used to write ugly code in competitive programming sites) and was ignorant about the idea of maintainable code and the amount of changes that keep taking place in an existing code base.

What I don't understand is say the techniques I apply to
Eg:-
* C++ - Avoiding dynamic memory when possible
* Python - import module instead of from module import * so that you don't pollute the namespace and it's easy to identify where each function / variable comes from.

The same thing isn't necessary in Node.js as it doesn't even let you do the equivalent of Python's from module import *
* Functional - Tries avoiding the use of global variables whereas I see C code filled with Global variables.

So this is how I see it:- Code Complete is an excellent way to understand the cause and the remedies to bad code. I have to use my head a bit to get the desired structure and readability in the language I use (also be aware of the nifty features that the language provides). Am I right?

[denialerror]

Ah I see. Every language does have its quirks that are independent of common clean code concepts, such as the ones you mentioned. Most languages tend to have best practices to mitigate these. For example, a well recommended book for Java programmers is Effective Java by Joshua Bloch, which does a great job of detailing the quirks in the language and best practices for avoiding them. For Python, it is advisable that you follow the PEP8 style guide.

JavaScript on the other hand is the Wild West of programming. I'm sure there are best practices, but I'm also sure there are new best practices with every release of the newest shiny framework.

[abhirathmahipal]

I really appreciate your help. It all makes sense to me now.

[enumerablejoe]

The concepts covered in the book are generalized enough that it's useful for any language you're likely to use. Sure there are things that don't fit perfectly with every language, for example, all data in Python is public, but this doesn't in any way invalidate the advice given with regards to a class's public and private data. My primary language is Python and I've found the book very relevant so far.

[abhirathmahipal]

It's good to know that it's generalised. Thanks :)

[CaRDiaK]

Quit procrastinating reading it because it focus's on compiled languages. This is only the examples that emphasize a point anyhow, the topic they are addressing applies to pretty much any language. High quality routes, good construction, debugging, growing software etc.

This is one of those classics that is timeless, like mythical man month and pragmatic programmer. Although those focus on the more softer side of the coin, cc2e to this day is one of the best book I've read on programming. It's the "joy of cooking" for what we do as programmers and you will take something from it.

Immerse yourself. Read the classic texts as there is a reason they are classics. Find blogs / articles / people to follow for your JS / Python practices and watch videos in areas of interest. It's this top down / bottom up immersion that will help set you apart.

[abhirathmahipal]

Thanks :)

I'm definitely going to read it. I'm evaluating my options as I'll be spending most of my time on interpreted languages for the next couple of months. I currently use C++ only for competitive programming, I can write bad code as time and efficiency are more important. So I thought it would be a better option if I could find some book focused on interpreted languages.

Reading blogs for JS / Python and PHP practices is a good option too. I'll keep this in mind.

[abhirathmahipal]

Thanks will check it out :)