Writing Code Is Easy. Reading It Isn't
2 days ago
- #Mental Models
- #AI in Development
- #Programming
- Writing code is easy, but reading and understanding it is the hard part.
- A mental model is essential for understanding a system's structure and dependencies.
- Building a mental model involves tracing functions, understanding data flow, and identifying side effects.
- Reading code is slower and more complex than writing it, requiring navigation through multiple files and contexts.
- Debugging is harder than coding because it requires reconstructing the context and mental model.
- AI-generated code still requires thorough reading and understanding to ensure it fits within the system.
- The real bottleneck in software development is understanding, not writing code.
- Future programming tools should focus on accelerating understanding rather than just generating code.