Tidy First? by Kent Beck

“Software design is an exercise in human relationships.

You have to change some ugly code. Should you tidy it first before you change it? Reflected in this simple, daily-repeated question are all the elements of software design: coupling/cohesion, economics, psychology, and sociology.”

In 45 years of programming, Kent hasn’t been satisfied for more than a day at a time. Not with the tools, the techniques, the outcomes, and most of all not with his own …