Tidy First?

Part III. Theory

Now that we’ve seen what to tidy and how and when to tidy, we can discuss why to tidy. You don’t need to know exactly how a medication works to experience its effects, but knowing how it works gives you a deeper appreciation of it and allows you to use the medication in novel circumstances.

Theory doesn’t convince. No one is going to say, “Tidying is bullshit. Oh, wait, you’re creating optionality. I guess it’s a good idea after all.”

Understanding theory optimizes application. The forever questions in software design are:

• When do I start making software design decisions?

• When do I stop making software design decisions and get on with changing the behavior of the system?

• How do I make the next decision?

These questions aren’t rationally, logically answerable because the information needed to find rational, logical answers doesn’t exist when we ask the questions.

Understanding theory sharpens your judgment for when you have to answer these questions on speculation. Understanding theory lets you disagree constructively with your fellow geeks.

Sometimes when I want to do X and you want to do Y, what we disagree about is simple. We are both trying to accomplish the same goal but in different ways. Theory helps when our disagreement runs deeper. When we are trying to accomplish different goals, this is when sharing a theoretical framework becomes valuable.

If we disagree in principle and we can discuss our principles, then we have a chance to agree on what ...