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The Psychology of Programming: Why Naming, Readability & Simplicity Matter
- Programming is not just about computers, but also about communicating with other humans through code, emphasizing clarity and maintainability over cleverness.
- The article explores the importance of naming, readability, and simplicity in programming through Cognitive Load Theory, which suggests minimizing unnecessary mental effort.
- Intrinsic load (task difficulty), extraneous load (unnecessary complexity), and germane load (schema construction) are crucial elements in reducing cognitive load in programming tasks.
- Effective naming reduces extraneous load, with tips like specificity, avoiding noise words, and following conventions to enhance code understanding.
- Readability is essential, as developers spend significantly more time reading code than writing it, emphasizing whitespace usage, function size limits, meaningful comments, and structures.
- Simplicity in code matters to improve understanding, prevent errors, and save time on debugging, advocating for clear and straightforward code over overly clever optimizations.
- Practical tips include using code reviews for teaching, reading code regularly, leveraging linters and formatters, and refactoring consistently to uphold coding principles in daily practice.
- Writing clean code with empathy towards others leads to better teamwork, user experience, and future understanding, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and clarity in programming.
- Programming is a blend of logic, language, art, and science, where the code's clarity and simplicity impact the cognitive load of those who interact with it.
- The article concludes with a reminder to name, read, and write code with care, highlighting the soul of efficiency in simplicity and clear intentions.
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