Reka Horvath

The Name of the Rose

A reused, single-letter flag led to a system failure that cost a company $500 million. Learn how better naming prevents catastrophic bugs.

The Name of the Rose
#1about 3 minutes

Why good naming is critical for understanding code

Good names act as an introduction to a domain's core concepts, making code more approachable for newcomers.

#2about 2 minutes

How mental models influence code interpretation

We process code using the same mental shortcuts as natural language, creating meaningful chunks and making assumptions based on names.

#3about 3 minutes

The danger of misleading function names

A function's name must not misrepresent its behavior, such as hiding side effects or returning unexpected types.

#4about 2 minutes

Using specific names instead of general terms

Overly general names like 'process' or 'handle' obscure a function's true purpose and should be replaced with more descriptive alternatives.

#5about 4 minutes

Establishing a one-to-one mapping for concepts

Maintain clarity by assigning exactly one name to each concept, avoiding both synonyms and using one name for multiple different ideas.

#6about 3 minutes

A cautionary tale of catastrophic naming failure

The Knight Capital case illustrates how a seemingly small naming ambiguity, when combined with other system faults, can lead to massive financial loss.

#7about 5 minutes

Designing consistent and intuitive APIs

APIs that are consistent with domain nomenclature or established frameworks are easier for developers to learn and use correctly.

#8about 2 minutes

Keeping names updated as code and business evolve

Names must be re-evaluated and updated when underlying technology or business domain concepts change to prevent them from becoming misleading.

#9about 4 minutes

Summary of key principles for effective naming

The core principles of good naming are to avoid being misleading, consider the reader's perspective, respect context, and maintain names over time.

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€55-65K
Intermediate
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Go
Rust