Oblivious everyone prefers to keep a good office atmosphere, but code reviews also has to convey clearly what the problem and ensure code quality is sustained o

Oblivious everyone prefers to keep a good office atmosphere, but code reviews also has to convey clearly what the problem and ensure code quality is sustained or improved over time. Being to vague and "nice", can mislead developers to think that it is optional to fix the problem. Companies that produces great code, are those who have a strong meritocratic culture where directness and quality stands above niceness and vagueness. Companies with the opposite, whatever that is (perhaps a democracy or indifference), tends to produce worse code and prevent developers from improving. So, be decent and direct (not nice and vague). And make sure to also praise progress and good code. End of the day, most developers prefers honesty and to become a better programmer.