if ( var )

Another technique is to make`TRUE` and`FALSE` have the same value, though most would consider that out and out cheating. Using values 1 and 2 or -1 and 0 is a more subtle way to trip people up and still look respectable. You can use this same technique in Java by defining a static constant called`TRUE`. Programmers might be more suspicious you are up to no good since there is a built-in literaltruth in Java.

Another technique is to make`TRUE` and`FALSE` have the same value, though most would consider that out and out cheating. Using values 1 and 2 or -1 and 0 is a more subtle way to trip people up and still look respectable. You can use this same technique in Java by defining a static constant called`TRUE`. Programmers might be more suspicious you are up to no good since there is a built-in literal`true` in Java.

This essay is a**joke**! I apologise if anyone took this literally. Canadians think it gauche to label jokes with a :-). People paid no attention when I harped about how to write__maintainable code. I found people were more receptive hearing all the goofy things people often do to muck it up. Checking for**un**maintainable design patterns is a rapid way to defend against malicious or inadvertent sloppiness.

_**<small>The original was published on[Roedy Green's Mindproducts](http://mindprod.com/jgloss/unmain.html) site.</small>**_