4-5 lines can be really effective. After all, if you're at a software conference, you're probably speaking to a bunch of programmers about programming, and code is your universal language.
But already 7-10 lines is stretching it, and any more than that, and it's a lot harder to get your point across because people spend so much time trying to parse the code sample.
The problem is that cutting down the code and coming up with an example that explains everything you want in just 4-5 lines is really hard — "if I had more time, I'd have written a shorter letter" and all that.
But already 7-10 lines is stretching it, and any more than that, and it's a lot harder to get your point across because people spend so much time trying to parse the code sample.
The problem is that cutting down the code and coming up with an example that explains everything you want in just 4-5 lines is really hard — "if I had more time, I'd have written a shorter letter" and all that.