Code Smell 310 – Why Generic Date Names Break Your Code

Generic names like date make code confusing, harder to maintain, and prone to bugs. Instead, use descriptive names (e.g., publishDate, expiryDate) that reveal intent and business purpose. This clarity improves readability, reduces debugging headaches, and aligns code with real-world concepts. AI tools often default to vague naming, so it’s critical for developers to guide them with context. Naming is not cosmetic—it’s a design decision that shapes the quality of your code.