[timoxley]

It depends. Short, dense code can make the code more difficult to understand/change later, while overly bloated code can have the same effect.

I often find inelegant, yet straightforward solutions are generally better options than dense, mathematically pure solutions, simply because inelegant code usually relies on fewer assumptions. Noting that code rarely/never evolves the way we expect it to, apply Occam's razor and strike a balance.

[bjourne]

No it doesn't depends. That's what ceteris paribus means.