Removing code is one of my favorite activities. Isn’t it one of yours? As a software developer I strive to write less code. Sounds kind of funny, but what I mean is that I want the code that I write to be reused as effectively as possible. Having less code means that maintenance is easier. I can fix things faster, change things faster, find things faster, and figure things out faster.
This is a very good case of “less is more”, which is one reason why I love removing code. I really enjoy getting more or even equivalent work done with less code.
I just finished eliminating a constructor. Why? Well, it really was not needed. As it turns out there was a more appropriate constructor to use for the class. Not sure when or why the constructor was created, but it doesn’t really matter. I am fairly certain that nothing is using it after my removing it. Code still compiles. Tests still pass.
This does a lot of good things. It makes the class less intimidating by dropping the line count. It makes clearer which constructor to use when there are fewer of them. If I need to make a change to the constructor by either adding or removing a parameter for example there is only one place to do this now. Before there were two places.
I love writing code, but I also enjoy removing excess code. It just makes things simpler, which is exactly how I like things. I want my code to be just complex enough to work. When I am refactoring old code this is one of the best things to do. Chopping off all the bits and pieces of unneeded legacy code is progress.
Has anyone else removed any code recently they were glad to be rid of? Anyone eliminate any entire class libraries or anything cool like that?
“Do you want complexity with that?”
“No, thank you.”
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