The Art of Code: Writing Logic for Humans

The 'Clever' One-Liner Trap

When I was a Junior Developer, I thought "Good Code" meant "Short Code". I tried to impress my seniors with complex one-liners.

The Code I Wrote: ```javascript const r = d.map(x => x.y).filter(z => z > 0).reduce((a,b) => a+b, 0); ```

I felt like a wizard. "Look," I thought, "I did in 1 line what you did in 10!"

The Reality: Six months later, production broke at 2 AM. I looked at that line. I had NO IDEA what it did. - What is `d`? - What is `x.y`? - Why are we filtering `> 0`?

I had to deconstruct my own 'cleverness' just to fix a bug. I realized that code is not about showing off IQ; it's about communicating Intent.

Code is for Humans, Not Computers

Computers don't care about your variable names. They convert everything to 1s and 0s anyway. They don't care about spaces or formatting.

You are writing code for Humans. specifically: 1. Future You: (Who will have forgotten everything in 2 weeks). 2. Your Teammates: (Who need to review your PR without getting a headache).

If your code requires me to hold 5 variables in my head at once to understand it, it is Bad Code, no matter how efficient it is.

The Rule of Explicit Naming

We treat naming as a sacred duty at Orb21. Naming is the hardest problem in Computer Science, but also the most important.

• **Bad:** `const t = 10;` (Ambiguous)
• **Better:** `const timeout = 10;` (Still ambiguous, unit?)
• **Best:** `const API_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 10;`

The third one tells a story. It tells you *what* it is and *how* it is measured.

• **Bad:** `getUser()` (From where? Local? DB?)
• **Best:** `fetchUserFromDatabaseById(id)`

Comments: The 'Why', not the 'What'

Don't write comments that explain the syntax. We know Javascript.

Useless Comment: ```javascript // increment i by 1 i++; ```

Useful Comment: ```javascript // We skip the header row (index 0) because the CSV parser handles it separately currentRowIndex++; ```

The "Danger" Comment: Sometimes you have to write ugly code because of a library bug. Comment it! `// HACK: This timeout is needed because the animation library has a race condition on iOS.`

Great code reads like poetry or a well-written manual. It should be boringly obvious. If you have to explain your code, it is not simple enough yet. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.