this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2025
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I get regularly complimented on my code for how understandable it is radiates smugness
It's ChatGPT that's commenting this, isn't it?
Nope, sorry. I just break my code into neatly grouped chunks, and I'm very consistent
I regularly go "I need something to do X", and when I go to write it it's already there. It does exactly what I need it to do, otherwise why would I name it X and not X_for_situation_y? I would never
My utility functions are reusable, my classes handle their own logic internally, and so my business logic is clean and readable. My code flows straight and clear, along a single path whenever possible
So yeah... When I start working with people, there's the initial confusion then this moment where they go "Oh! That's really easy to understand"
Can we please download your brain?
Yes, but only ship of thesius style
I've seen how people code, I'm writing my own stack on the way up
But honestly, it's probably because I have ideasthesia. I feel ideas tactically
Bad code feels slimy, problem areas feel like sharp angles, good code feels clean and smooth, like a smooth river stone with clean even grooves that gracefully curve
Best advice I can give is to strive to write elegant code. I don't strictly follow style guides or do docstrings... These are superficial. I try to match the style of the project, but my code is consistent even in projects that are not
Elegant code is pretty, regardless of formatting. You'll know it when you see it, junior devs will follow the patterns without instruction. It does not require explanation, it does exactly what you think it does, and it makes complex problems simple