Item 32: Program in the future tense.(More Effective C++)

Good software adapts well to change. It accommodates new features, it ports to new platforms, it adjusts to new demands, it handles new inputs. Software this flexible, this robust, and this reliable does not come about by accident. It is designed and implemented by programmers who conform to the constraints of today while keeping in mind the probable needs of tomorrow. This kind of software — software that accepts change gracefully — is written by people who program in the future tense.