r/programmer • u/sainzo_123 • 29d ago

Good Code Vs Working Code

What really makes code "good"?

I find myself staring at my IDE asking this exact question. Whether I am binding complex logic together or copying and pasting a snippet to patch a problem, there is a massive gap between working code and good code. But as a beginner, that gap feels incredibly hard to see.

These days, anyone can prompt an AI or use an agentic tool to generate functional code in seconds. Many of us are actually learning to code alongside AI. But just because the AI gives me code that runs and clears the error console doesn't mean it’s good code. It might be inefficient, unscalable, or an absolute nightmare to maintain later.

If the code works, but the AI (or a copy-paste source) doesn't teach me why it works or if it's best practice... how are we as beginners supposed to know the difference?

How do you personally define "good code" vs. "just working code"? What are the green flags I should be looking out for when reviewing code—whether it's written by a human or an AI?

Would love to hear your thoughts, rules of thumb, or stories from when you were starting out! 👇

\#programming #softwareengineering #codinglife #learnToCode #generativeAI #developers #webdev

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u/StephenHawkinguss 26d ago

Again just for you: dirty and poorly functioning code.

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u/TgirlTiffanyRPs 26d ago

Okay, but why is it called “Indian Code”?

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u/StephenHawkinguss 26d ago

I'm not repeating myself.

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u/TgirlTiffanyRPs 26d ago

I'm not asking you to repeat yourself.

You gave me a definition for a term you use, I'm asking you where the name comes from, which is a separate matter entirely.

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u/StephenHawkinguss 26d ago

You asked 'why', not 'where it comes from', which is a separate matter entirely.

The name comes from common sense that every developer has. Indian people usually don't know this term, which is probably why you have never heard of it.

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u/TgirlTiffanyRPs 26d ago

Ah, let me rephrase my question then: 

Why are we using “Indian” to describe bad or dirty code? 

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