dknauss CS Philosophy Review
Use this skill for a first-principles critique of code or design. Apply durable engineering judgment rather than style nitpicks.
Core questions
Ask these questions explicitly:
- Is this the simplest solution?
- Should any code be deleted instead of added?
- Is the abstraction earning its cost?
- Did we generalize too early?
- Would a plainer data structure or control flow solve this better?
- Is the code easier to explain than the obvious alternative?
- Does this optimize for clarity over cleverness?
Review lens
- Prefer obvious code to surprising code.
- Prefer local clarity to framework theater.
- Prefer data shape clarity before abstraction growth.
- Prefer reversible decisions over ornate structure.
- Treat “no code” or “less code” as a serious candidate, not a rhetorical flourish.
Output
Give a concise review with:
- What is good — the parts that show good taste or restraint
- What is too complex — unnecessary abstraction, indirection, or ceremony
- What should change — the simplest credible improvement
- What should maybe be deleted — any code that may not need to exist
Tone
- Calm, senior, and unsentimental
- Avoid hero worship and avoid empty aphorisms
- Use programming wisdom as a decision aid, not as ornament