Programmers often mistake complexity for cleverness. The truth is: writing complex code is easy. It takes real mastery to find the simple, obvious solution that makes everyone say ‘of course!’ That’s the true mark of expertise. This is exponentially more difficult.
In code reviews, I find it incredibly frustrating how easy it is to defend complexity, yet how hard it is to argue for simplicity. Its like the phrase “It takes an enormous amount of energy to refute bullshit, more than it takes to create bullshit.”
Good code is understandable. It models the domain. The big pieces must fit together well, and the intent is obvious. And achieving such “obviousness” in code requires a certain level of creativity & genius. Yet when presented with such code, this genius often goes unrecognized. People often take this for granted. They go “Ofcourse it’s this way, because how else would you do it?”
Its like with governent when buses run on time and streets are clean, it’s easy to overlook the complexity behind it all. However, when things break down, we realize the intricacies involved in maintaining a functioning society. Interestingly, this skill isn’t easily taught. Programmers who’ve been in the field for years, still struggle to grasp this. This is both fascinating and frustrating.