In the notices example, I arrived at number one for answer because of a simpler evaluation: it's less code. One of the principles I follow is "the best code go

In the notices example, I arrived at number one for answer because of a simpler evaluation: it's less code. One of the principles I follow is "the best code goes unwritten" so a good rule of thumb for a good abstraction, for me, is if it reduces (noticeably) the total amount of code. Conversely, if abstracting just increases the total code, I call it an indirection and avoid it.