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@vampiress@eigenmagic.net

Post #3577851

2026-07-04 02:05 UTC

The TL;DR version is essentially this: Writing code is not just creative in the "writing code is an art as well as a science" sense, but also in that every line of code you don't write is a million tiny design decisions you are NOT making.

Replies (5)

  • @n1vux@mastodon.radio 2026-07-04 02:07

    @vampiress@eigenmagic.net So very much YES THIS

    Open ##3577852

  • @sinvega@mas.to 2026-07-04 04:08

    @vampiress@eigenmagic.net so many games first stood out or stayed in my mind because of a small detail or offbeat decision. the shotgun in Wrath whose alt fire takes half a second to charge, but lets you repeatedly stop-start it to make a chuk chak noise in time with your clicks, just for the hell of it kenshi letting you create a gangly dude with a pot belly or a gnarled and hunched weirdo instead of boring normal body sliders House of the Dying sun making some icons NOT rotate with your ship Defender Patrol letting you reach across and press the button on your copilot's joystick while he's using it and like... you can't do that stuff if you didn't write code that supports it, or you decided against enabling it, or just didn't decide at all

    Open ##3577853

  • @datenwolf@chaos.social 2026-07-04 09:14

    @vampiress@eigenmagic.net Yes, and also: Every line of code you consciously decide not to write is an active design decision (in the same way deleting code is) you ARE making.

    Open ##3577854

  • @Cheeseness@mastodon.social 2026-07-04 10:27

    @vampiress@eigenmagic.net 100%, and in addition, you're informed by all the insights you have along the way, while you're looking at unfinished stuff, while you're typing out a boilerplate line, while you're taking a break, etc. etc.. Skipping to the end misses out on all the interesting stuff along the way that ends up playing such a big role in any creative endeavour IMO

    Open ##3577855

  • @thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io 2026-07-04 13:51

    @vampiress@eigenmagic.net From my experiments with it: it can* be helpful in 3 scenarios. 1. Really small changes (like tracking down a bug) in existing code 2. Software that you essentially don’t care much about (like a one-off data converter or an internal app just for you, that sort of thing) 3. Truly trivial applications *often it’s either not at all helpful or it just takes the same time as hand-written code

    Open ##3615657