Ah! Then I agree, practice is essential. Sometimes you'll think something -- a particular brace style, a naming convention, a commenting convention, a design

Ah! Then I agree, practice is essential. Sometimes you'll think something -- a particular brace style, a naming convention, a commenting convention, a design choice -- will make code better. But when you try it, it doesn't help comprehension or maintainence. There is no substitute for honestly taking the time to make some code the best you know how, and then being stuck maintaining it for a fussy customer for several months. If you never had the time to do it right, you can deceive yourself about how good it might have been. But if you know you did your best, you have nothing to blame the inevitable mess on but your own abilities.