The Case Against Consistency in Code

Mark Seemann takes a contrarian approach:

In this essay, I use the term coding style to indicate a set of rules that governs how code should be formatted. This may include rules about where you put brackets, whether to use tabs or spaces, which naming conventions to use, maximum line width, in C# whether you should use the var keyword or explicit variable declaration, and so on.

As already stated, I can appreciate consistency in code as much as the next programmer. I’ve seen more than one code base, however, where a formal coding style contributed to ossification.

Read on for the argument. In this case, the language is C# but the concept applies across the board.