Why Are Shortcuts Like Broken Windows?
Explore the impact of shortcuts in software development through the lens of the Broken Windows Theory. Understand how neglected code quality invites further issues, and learn to identify, manage, and consciously decide when taking shortcuts is acceptable. This lesson helps you protect your codebase from technical debt erosion and maintain long-term integrity.
We'll cover the following...
Introduction
In the introduction of this course, I cursed the fact that we feel forced to take shortcuts all the time, building up a great heap of technical debt we never have the chance to pay back.
To prevent shortcuts, we must be able to identify them. So, the goal of this chapter is to raise awareness regarding some potential shortcuts and also to discuss their effects.
With this information, we can identify and fix accidental shortcuts. Or, if justified, we can even consciously opt-in to the effects of a shortcut ...