True, the world could do with less code that looks like Fizz Buzz Enterprise Edition :) In this case, though, the OP makes a strong point that constructs like

True, the world could do with less code that looks like Fizz Buzz Enterprise Edition :) In this case, though, the OP makes a strong point that constructs like data[index++] = value; aren't idiomatic to Java - even the spec advises against this. And in any case, side effects in assignments can be a tricky thing to understand. Sometimes they are necessary, as in status = perform_computation_on_data(some_mutable_data); But in the example discussed is not in this vein. I'd say it's not pretty for the same reason as cramming two statements on one line: data[i]=value; i++; is not pretty: it's trying to do two things with one line, which kind of defeats the point of breaking up code into lines. So I don't disagree with you - but there's a happy medium between Fizz Buzz Enterprise and Code Golf - style code :)