Rob Pike's 5 Rules of Programming

5 hours ago

Rule 1: Bottlenecks are unpredictable; avoid premature speed hacks without proof.
Rule 2: Measure performance before optimizing; focus only on critical bottlenecks.
Rule 3: Simple algorithms are better for small 'n'; avoid complexity unless necessary.
Rule 4: Fancy algorithms are bug-prone and harder to implement; prefer simplicity.
Rule 5: Data structures are central; good organization makes algorithms obvious.
Premature optimization is the root of all evil (Tony Hoare).
When in doubt, use brute force (Ken Thompson).
KISS philosophy underlies Rules 3 and 4.
Fred Brooks emphasized Rule 5 in 'The Mythical Man-Month'.

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