For cleaner code, write ugly code

We want to write only clean code, right?

Wrong. I want to write eventually-clean code. It starts exploring a space, and then I refine it to be cleaner and more suited to purpose. Usually, that purpose becomes clearer through writing, reading, and using the code.

That process of refining or tidying up can feel tedious, compared to implementing more features. It can be tempting to leave off error handling. I have a strategy for that: meaningful ugliness.

When I’m prototyping, I make the code so ugly that it will be satisfying to clean up. No attempt at appearing clean. I put a bunch of casts, bad casing maybe, random names instead of plausible-but-inaccurate ones. No null-checking.

for (const gerald of allKindsOfStuff.fingerprints) {
    (gerald as any).displayName =
         allKindsOfStuff.feature.convertinate(;            }

(exaggerated to show detail)

When cleaning, I often start by making the code uglier. To move from an OO style toward functional, start by replacing all global or class-level variables with parameters. Twelve parameters on a function?! That’s hideous! Yes. Yes. Let ogres look like ogres.

This lets me feel productive when I come back to the code and clean it up. Later, I know more about what this code is for, what might be null and what won’t, what dependencies I can eliminate and which are meaningful. This is a better time to clean.

Disguising rough code in socially-acceptable clothing prevents cleaning. Appearance-of-good is the enemy of better.