Joel on Software - Making Wrong Code Look Wrong
Every time I come across Joel's essays, I'm always astounded both with how simple yet resonant they are. This piece is about the essence of good coding practices to make it super clear where things are wrong without trusting the compiler to do the work. Not that the compiler cannot help, but beyond the most basic checking (types, overflows, etc), the compiler will not know what you are trying to do. The beauty of this particular note is how it can apply to so many things. A screwdriver can be made to have a torque sensor so that you do not strip it, but it becomes so much more useful when the screw is color coded with the place it needs to go. I’d love it if more companies provided the help and feedback built right into the action that you are currently performing. Not just technology! It is extremely rare to come across anything that could not benefit from a feedback loop or "built in" help so that you know if what you’re doing is what and how the manufacturer intended you to do it.