Quotes About Refactor

Don't try to refactor and add functionality at the same time.

It is a myth that we can get systems "right the first time." Instead, we should implement only today's stories, then refactor and expand the system to implement new stories tomorrow. This is the essence of iterative and incremental agility.

To do Agile right, you had to work in pairs, write tests first, refactor, and commit to simple designs. You had to work in short cycles, producing executable output in each. You had to communicate with business on a regular and continuous basis.

Don't comment bad code—rewrite it." —Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plaugher1

Of course bad code can be cleaned up. But it's very expensive.

That voice you hear in your head, the one whispering that you need to add some comments, may just be your program crying out to be rewritten.

Don't comment bad code—rewrite it.

Code that communicates its purpose is very important. I often refactor just when I'm reading some code. That way as I gain understanding about the program, I embed that understanding into the code for later so I don't forget what I learned.

Whenever I have to think to understand what the code is doing, I ask myself if I can refactor the code to make that understanding more immediately apparent.