Another aspect is that as a codebase develops, memes inevitably appear; patterns and strategies that replicate themselves throughout the codebase. The elegant

Another aspect is that as a codebase develops, memes inevitably appear; patterns and strategies that replicate themselves throughout the codebase. The elegant utility may be difficult to deal with standing alone, but when you see it 2,3,4 different places (by same author, or mimics) it becomes normalized, and once normal there’s really no reason not to use it. The main problem with clever code is when it stands alone. Which is also the context in which these debates occur.