The Law of Maintainability

Published on Jan 6, 2016 (updated Jun 6, 2021), filed under development, maintainability. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon.)

This is one of 180 articles that you can also read in an ebook: On Web Development II.

One cannot not maintain.

This is an important axiom, critical even when we recognize how little understanding and prioritization this topic enjoys in our industry, that is, web and software development.

One cannot not maintain because all code must be updated or deleted one day, and that is why everything we do has more than the initial setup and launch cost, and why that little that we have about web maintainability best practices is not enough.

This is a simple reminder, now, that we must stop making and permitting excuses for the disregard and ignorance maintainability gets in our field. One cannot not maintain.

That should be enough with laws for the moment. I refrained from naming this law “Meiert’s Law of Maintainability.” Call it “Franz Hubert’s Law of Maintainability” if you must, as long as we as web professionals become a bit more mindful about maintenance.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies (e.g., Google); I’m an active web and tool developer (code optimization, digital defense), a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and a book author (O’Reilly, Frontend Dogma).

I love trying things—in web development and engineering management, but also in politics and philosophy, where I hold to one idea in particular: that we can only be well if we take good care of everyone. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my perspectives and experiences. (Interpret charitably but be critical—and share feedback and advice that makes my work better.)