A helpful comment pointed me to Rusty Russell's Hard to Misuse Interface Levels rules (a play on "easy to use").

I've reproduced them here in one place, since I always seem to want to refer to it. See the original for fun examples. Higher is better.

1. Impossible to get wrong
2. Compiler/linker won't let you get it wrong
3. Compiler/linker warns if you get it wrong
4. Simplest use is correct
5. The name tells you how to use it
6. Do it right or breaks at runtime
7. Follow the convention and you will get it right
8. Read the documentation and you will get it right
9. Read the implementation and you will get it right
10. Read a mail list thread and you will get it right
11. Read the documentation and you will get it wrong
12. Follow the convention and you will get it wrong
13. Do it right and it will break at runtime
14. The name tells you how not to use it
15. The obvious use is wrong
16. Compiler/linker will warn you if you get it right
17. Compiler/linker won't let you get it right
18. Impossible to get right

posted at: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:46 | in /code/badcode | permalink | add comment (0 others)