Knuth famously said that “programmers waste enormous amounts of time thinking about, or worrying about, the speed of noncritical parts of their programs”. That we should “forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time.”
It was relevant in 1974, and just as relevant in this age of vibe coding. Don’t obsess over performance before you know where it matters. Computers are fast. What we need is not micro-optimization. We need simplicity and the ability to change direction fast.
Optimize for: ⏵ Solving the right problem. ⏵ Shipping value. ⏵ Keeping your solutions malleable enough to pivot.
Products don’t fail because a loop is 3% too slow. They fail because nobody needs them.
Yes, performance can matter. But only after you’ve measured and learned where it matters.
Build for learning. Build for change. Then — and only then — possibly optimize.
📕 Download my book! It deals with writing changeable software. Link in the comments.
Christopher Okhravi
Stop Optimizing The Wrong Things.
Knuth famously said that “programmers waste enormous amounts of time thinking about, or worrying about, the speed of noncritical parts of their programs”. That we should “forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time.”
It was relevant in 1974, and just as relevant in this age of vibe coding.
Don’t obsess over performance before you know where it matters.
Computers are fast.
What we need is not micro-optimization.
We need simplicity and the ability to change direction fast.
Optimize for:
⏵ Solving the right problem.
⏵ Shipping value.
⏵ Keeping your solutions malleable enough to pivot.
Products don’t fail because a loop is 3% too slow. They fail because nobody needs them.
Yes, performance can matter. But only after you’ve measured and learned where it matters.
Build for learning. Build for change. Then — and only then — possibly optimize.
📕 Download my book! It deals with writing changeable software.
Link in the comments.
4 months ago | [YT] | 77