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I used to think that I wasn’t smart enough. I was jealous of those that did crazy code stuff that I couldn’t even comprehend. Then, one day, I ran into somethin
by richcollins 17y ago
I used to think that I wasn’t smart enough. I was jealous of those that did crazy code stuff that I couldn’t even comprehend. Then, one day, I ran into something I did not understand and instead of giving up, I pushed through.
You shouldn't be jealous of people that do "crazy code stuff". It's a sign that they haven't learned how to create simple solutions yet.
- prospero 17y agoOne definition of "crazy code" is some monument of complexity that has accreted around a simple core. Another definition, though, is something that approaches the problem at right angles, bypassing all kinds of incidental complexity. This is generally confusing at first glance, but is definitely worth the time it takes to understand.
- eru 17y agoYes. You can find a lot of stuff like this at the Haskell mailing list. The hard solutions are usually better, and people like Heinrich Apfelmus explain it all.
- j_baker 17y agoUnfortunately, that isn't necessarily true. In my experience a "complex" piece of code is more often a piece of code you just don't understand. You should generally try to understand a piece of code before you dismiss it as overly complex.
- richcollins 17y agoIt isn't necessarily true but it usually is. Developers spend way too much time getting cute, optimizing for the infrequent case. Choosing a slight increase in verbosity in favor of simplicity of implementation is usually a better decision.