Program understandability is the ease with which the program can be understood—that is, the ability to determine what a program does and how it works by reading its source code and accompanying documentation [Grubb 2003]. Understandable code is easier to maintain because software maintainers are less likely to introduce defects into code that is clear and comprehensible. Understandability helps in manual analysis of source code because it allows the auditor to more easily spot defects and vulnerabilities.
Some guidelines in this chapter are stylistic in nature; they will help a Java programmer to write clearer, more readable code. Failure to follow these guidelines could result in obscure code and design defects.