Difference between multiple IF else condition and logical OR operation

Question

Are there logically any difference between

if (name.startsWith("a"){
   return true;
} else if (name.startsWith("b") {
   return true;
} else if (name.startsWith("c") {
   return true;
}

and

if(name.startsWith("a") || name.startsWith("b") || name.startsWith("c") ){
  return true;
}

I prefer the second one as it is elegant to me. I'd like to understand "are there any differences?"

Answer 1

They're the same.

The second one is definitely easier to read, and readability is incredibly important in programming.

The rule I like to go by is that if multiple branches of an if-else statement produce the same behavior, I combine them. (Be sure that they're the EXACT same behavior)