The first iteration is not what "don't go dark" is about. The aphorism refers to releases 2, 3.. N, where the code you're writing needs to mesh with the expecta

The first iteration is not what "don't go dark" is about. The aphorism refers to releases 2, 3.. N, where the code you're writing needs to mesh with the expectations, needs, and codebase of other people. Sure, if you haven't released your code yet and you have no users, you can be as dark as you like. You can change your API on a whim. Nobody cares! There's still a risk, of course -- the risk that you're wasting time developing something that everyone else will just ignore -- but that's just your problem. The problem with "going dark" after the initial release is that it causes trouble not just for you, but for everyone else whose work depends on your work.