Bad Programming Practices 101

Chapter 1: Fundamentals of BadnessHow best to approach programming, in particular how to learn it, how to choose your tools wisely, and how tothink of programming as problem solving. Bad ways to learn programming Bad tooling Bad ways to approach a solution (or: programming is really problem-solving)Chapter 2: Layout and StructureShow the reader the consequences of a program's appearance and overall structure. Make indentation and spacing poor and inconsistent Avoid structured programming, use lots of gotos Nest deeply - programmers like solving intricate puzzles Have lots of paths through a subroutine Clutter the code with extraneous tokens Avoid comments - code should be hard to read!Chapter 3: VariablesExplain poor use of variables in programs. Use obscure names - thinking up meaningful labels isn't worth the effort Consider declaration a waste of time Use global variables Thoroughly abuse the type systemChapter 4: ConditionalsDiscuss bad habits and common mistakes when using conditionals. Use long, complex expressions Forget the else clause - the computer will figure it out Mix up nominal cases with errors cases Make sure the cases overlap or have gapsChapter 5: LoopsDiscuss bad habits and common mistakes when using loops. Make 'em looooong! Give loops lots of exit points Avoid iterators - loop counters help make code convoluted and insecure Infinite loops are funChapter 6: SubroutinesShow the consequences of poorly-written subroutines. Write monolithic programs - after all, someone else will do the maintenance Make subroutines long and complex Use lots of local variables Use inconsistent return values to keep your colleagues on their toesChapter 7: Error-handlingExplain how poor error-handling makes for unstable programs. Never check inputs - users don't make mistakes Don't handle errors - just assume everything will always go well Don't check for null pointers If you must check values, do it as late as possible (a.k.a. defensive programming is for wimps)Chapter

Karl Beecher is a British writer, software developer and teacher based in Berlin, Germany. He specializes in taking meaty, complex ideas and presenting them in ways that are easy to understand.

"Beecher focuses on poor coding practices that frequently creep into programmers' code. He crams 11 chapters of well-illustrated, well-documented examples of bad programming practices into just over 200 pages. ... The book has a well-constructed index and an excellent bibliography. Readers are urged to use the bibliography to review and reacquaint themselves with many excellent traditional references. ... Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." (J. Beidler, Choice, Vol. 56 (03), November, 2018)
"I liked the book in a way that it was written as a comic book, which was easy to read. Some programming traps were well-described. The book is written in Java, but the code snippets are understandable for anyone, who is programming." (Vitosh, vitoshacademy.com, June, 2018)