4. If it isn't abnormal it can't produce abnormal returns.

While I agree on 1-3, I disagree on this one. You can't claim that any piece of great code is great only if some best practice rule was broken along the way.

Second, you're well underway writing a set of meta-best practice-rules - this particular one saying "Any good software must break at least one best practise rule". Stating (meta) rules kind of defeats the whole purpose, doesn't it? By the way, Douglas Hofstadter has some wonderful comments on such self-referencing rules.

I agree with the spirit behind the words - that independent thinking is the primary drive behind programming and since it is a creative process, there is very little chance that any one best practice rule will stand unbroken.

In reply to Re: Best practices, revisited by mzedeler
in thread Best practices, revisited by ELISHEVA

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